Japanese whiskies taking over the world’s bars

August 17th, 2010By Category: Culture, Food & Dining

It wasn’t too long ago that consumers outside of Japan even knew there were Japanese whiskies available, let alone ask for them by name.

That, however, is fast changing.

Although best known for sake, Japan has a whisky tradition stretching back more than a century. It’s not widely available outside the country, but that’s changing as both big companies like Suntory and smaller exporters work to boost overseas sales.

And maybe they can also thank Bill Murray. His character in the 2003 movie “Lost in Translation” goes to Japan to shoot a whisky commercial.

Suntory exports a number of products, including Yamazaki single malt whiskies and Hibiki, a blend. Like Scotch, the Japanese product is spelled without the extra “e.” In fact, the origins of the Japanese whisky industry have ties to Scotland. Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru, who studied distilling in Scotland. Taketsuru went on to found Nikka, also a major producer.

Despite that history, Suntory whisky is “not Scotch made in Japan,” but in fact a Japanese whisky that has been designed to cater to a more subtle palate. If you think about Japanese food, it tends to be on the lighter side, with very subtle flavors, and Japanese whisky fits into that palate.

Overall, Japanese whisky is a fraction of total U.S. sales. Suntory launched the Hibiki brand in Europe and the U.S. last year with sales of 6,000 cases. This year, they hope to sell 8,000 cases of Hibiki overseas and 31,000 cases of Yamazaki. To put that into perspective, 2009 total whiskey sales in the United States amounted to 46.5 million cases, according to the U.S. Distilled Spirits Council.

But with interest in spirits rising, there’s more attention being paid to all types of whiskies, says council spokesman Frank Coleman.

“There clearly has been a whiskey revival over the last decade and consumer interest is at an all-time high,” he said. “You have the explosion in the number of small craft distillers getting into the whiskey game. Consumers have become more and more interested in trying these new and different products and there’s no doubt some very good whiskies being made in Japan.”

Barrel aging is key to how a whisky tastes and Suntory uses three kinds – American and Spanish oak as well as Japanese mizunara oak. American white oak contributes a dry flavor with hints of vanilla, the Spanish oak has flavors of raisins, chocolate and caramel, and the mizunara gives subtle sweetness and spiciness, reminiscent of incense.

The Hibiki is a blend of more than 30 individual whiskies, with the final blend topped off with a whisky aged more than 30 years. Elegant and smooth, Hibiki uses old plum liqueur casks for aging some components and a bamboo charcoal filter that “just mellows out the flavor. Gives it a very sweet and gentle flavor,” Ariyoshi says.

In a nod to tradition, the Hibiki packaging has 24 facets to represent the ancient Japanese calendar that divided the year into 24 “seasons.”

Author of this article

GaijinPot

GaijinPot is an online community for foreigners living in Japan, providing information on everything you need to know about enjoying life here, from finding a job and accommodation to having fun.

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