whisky, Japanese. Japan is the youngest of the “established” whisky-making countries (along with Scotland, Ireland, United States of America, and Canada). Whisky first arrived in Japan during the nineteenth century; when Commander William Perry opened up trade between the United States and Japan in 1854, he brought a cask of American whisky and one of scotch with him as a gift for the emperor. By the end of the century, various Japanese firms had begun to specialize in the production of yo-shu (foreign liquor), whose production involved adulterating a base alcohol with flavorings to replicate those of the desired spirit. Among these ersatz spirits was “whisky.”
In the twentieth century, some of these firms decided to move into true whisky distillation, among them Kotobukiya, run by Shinjiro Torii (1879–1962), and Settsu Shuzo, run by Kihei Abe. In 1919, the latter sent one of its young chemists, Masataka Taketsuru (1894–1979), to Scotland to study chemistry and investigate whisky production. In 1921, he returned (with a Scottish wife), but Settsu was under financial administration, and its plan for a distillery had foundered.
Torii meanwhile had bought land at Yamazaki, close to Kyoto, and established Japan’s first purpose-built whisky distillery. (A license to distill whisky had previously been issued to White Oak in Akashi but was never acted upon until the 1960s.) Torii and Taketsuru were acquaintances, and the latter was hired as distillery manager. In 1924, the first spirit was distilled.
Torii’s firm would go on to become Suntory. See Suntory. Taketsuru split with his boss in 1933, moved to Hokkaido, and founded the firm Nikka. See Nikka. The two companies remain the dominant players in Japanese whisky.
Although whisky continued to be made during the Second World War, Japanese whisky’s golden age started in the 1950s when it became the popular drink among the new “salaryman” class. More distilleries were built, and consumption rose dramatically, peaking in the early 1980s.
Postwar Japan’s tax laws had divided whisky into three classes. The lower the malt content and alcoholic strength, the lower the tax levied. The bulk of the whisky consumed in the boom period was blends from the two lower classes. Sales of domestic whisky also remained buoyant because of a high import tax levied on imported spirits such as scotch. When that was scrapped in 1989, the price of scotch fell, creating a rise in demand, while the domestic whisky brands suffered. This coincided with a global trend away from whisky on the part of a new generation. In the West, new drinkers turned to vodka. In Japan, they began to drink shochu. See shochu.
The slump was to last for twenty-five years. Many distilleries closed permanently; some went into short-term working; others were mothballed. As domestic sales fell, the major distillers began to look to export and promote their single malts, rather than the blends that had built the industry. In 2008, Suntory introduced its Yamazaki twelve-year old and Yamazaki eighteen-year-old single malts to the American market. Overseas interest grew, albeit slowly. In 2010, however, the domestic market suddenly revived thanks to an uptake of highball drinks by a new generation. By 2014, the industry was selling more whisky but was hampered by lack of mature stock, as little had been laid down in the lean years. At the same time, overseas interest began building up steam. The remaining distilleries have increased capacity, and a number of new plants have been built.
The Japanese style, while based on the same distillation regime as Scotland’s, is subtly different. Ultra-clear wort is used, which eliminates cereal flavors. Long fermentation is commonplace, as is the use of a wide range of yeast strains and a wood policy that often includes Japanese oak (mizunara). The Japanese climate also has an influence. The whiskies tend to have a heightened aromatic intensity but are lighter in body than scotch. This allows them to satisfy the Japanese consumers’ demand for a whisky style that can be mixed and consumed with Japanese food.
Blends still dominate the market, but as the main distillers do not exchange stock—as happens in Scotland—distilleries have been set up to produce multiple styles. A Japanese single malt can therefore be a blend of different component malt types from the same plant.
excise, taxes, and distillation and whisky, scotch.Broom, Dave. World Atlas of Whisky: New Edition. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2014.
Bunting, Chris. Drinking Japan: A Guide to Japan’s Best Drinks and Drinking Establishments. Clarendon, VT: Tuttle, 2014.
Van Eycken, Stefan. Nonjatta (blog). https://nonjatta.blogspot.com/ (accessed April 9, 2021).
By: Dave Broom