Japanese Whisky Page by Takeshi Mogi

Revised

This site was revised on 14th September 2008. All the links are working and the information was renewed. Eigashima and Venture Chichibu pages have been added. Please note that Toa has bottlings under Chichibu brand available and they contain Hanyu malt. The owner of Venture Chichibu has bottlings under Ichiro's Malt available and they contain Hanyu malt too.

Welcome

Welcome to Japanese Whisky Web. This page is my personal web site designed for Japanese whisky lovers and those who are interested in Japanese whisky. This web was opened in 1998 but the contents were getting out of date and renewed at the beginning of 2007. I am going to revise and extend the web. I hope you will enjoy.

Takeshi Mogi

Introductions

Whisky is a popular drink in Japan, as it is in many other countries. Scotch whisky is especially popular and it was natural that some Japanese companies should try to produce whisky by a similar method and process to Scotch whisky. Most of the present-day Japanese whiskies are the results of the early Japanese distillers’ trials and efforts. However each Japanese whisky has a different character and this is something like the situation in Scotland where each distillery produces a differently flavoured malt and each cask within that distillery differs from its neighbour. Some Japanese whiskies are very different from Scotch and Bourbon whiskies. The quality has been getting better over the years and it is now possible to say that Japanese whisky is no longer an imitation of Scotch whisky but it has a Japanese style of its own.

History

A Japanese sweetened winemaker, Settsu Shusei Seizou, sent Masataka Taketsuru to Scotland to study the technology of producing whisky in 1917.

In 1920, Taketsuru returned to Japan after two years' study in some Scottish distilleries but Settsu Shusei Seizou could not afford to establish a distillery because of an economic depression. Kotobukiya (now Suntory Co.) could no longer afford him and he left the company. Taketsuru recommended that a distillery be built in Hokkaido, as the natural features are similar to Scotland, but his employer, Shinjiro Torii, decided to build his distillery in Yamazaki, Kyoto as this location is close to the market. This was the Japanese first malt whisky distillery.

Taketsuru was distillery manager in Yamazaki distillery for ten years, after which, he left for Hokkaido, there to build his own distillery. Thus was established his company, Nikka Whisky Co.

Most of the malt whisky produced in Japan is produced for blending but Japanese distillers do not exchange casks in the manner that Scottish distillers do. Therefore, each distillery produces whiskies of different styles. The raw materials are mostly imported.

Bibliography

John Lamond and Robin Tucek / The Malt Whisky File 3rd Edition / 2001 Canongate / 1-84195-072-6
Jim Murray / Jim murray's Whisky Bible 2006 / 2006 Carlton / 1-84442-147-3