The rise of Japanese whisky

"It's official – Japanese whisky has been declared better than Scotch," said Eleanor Dye in the Daily Mail. Industry experts gathered at the Pot Still bar in Glasgow in August for a "landmark" blind tasting organised by mixer drinks company Fever-Tree. 

In a result that will "horrify any Scot", Japan secured a "shock victory", winning more votes in three categories out of five. Among the winning bottles was Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve which beat Scotland's Caol Ila 12 Year Old to scoop the top spot for the best single malt under £100.

The blind tasting comes at a "precarious time" for the dominance of Scotch whisky, said Jack Rear in The Telegraph. Once largely confined to the domestic market, the Japanese whisky industry has been expanding rapidly, and is forecast to be worth £7.2 billion by 2032. The tide began to turn in 2001 when the Nikka distillery's Yoichi 10 Year Old was awarded Whisky Magazine's prestigious "Best of the Best" award. From that point, interest in Japanese whisky "exploded", with elusive bottles selling for hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction, and House of Suntory introducing a series of entry-level blends to the market.

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The Japanese whisky scene can be traced back to businessman Masataka Taketsuru's "fact-finding trip to Scottish distilleries" back in 1918, said Sylvia Wu in Decanter. On his return, he took over Japanese alcoholic beverage maker Suntory's fledgling whisky operation, before setting up his own distilling company, Nikka Whisky, in 1934.

While Irish, Scotch and Canadian whiskies have to adhere to strict production standards, until relatively recently Japanese producers could "play it fast and loose", and some brands imported the spirit from different countries before bottling it in Japan and labelling it "Japanese whisky", said Jonah Flicker in Esquire. That changed in 2021, when a group of Japanese producers headed by Suntory's CEO came together to establish a clear set of voluntary guidelines: Japanese whiskies must now be fermented, distilled and matured for at least three years, only malted grains can be used, and all bottling should take place in Japan.

Japanese whisky might have taken early inspiration from Scotch, added Jonathan Hatchman in The Independent, but in the last century it's evolved into something entirely "unique". Japan is now known in particular for its blended whiskies that "build subtle layers of flavour", favouring "delicacy and balance" over boldness.

With so many top-quality Japanese whiskies to choose from, here are some of the best bottles to try.

Nikka Days

"Light in aroma and flavour", this "easy-drinking" blended whisky is ideal for "newcomers to the whisky world", said Richard Davie on BBC Good Food. Drink neat or mix with two parts soda for a "highball with a punch".

£51, whiskyshop.com

Suntory whisky hibiki

"Complex and light on the nose," this blended whisky is a mix of at least 10 malt and grain whiskies from three distilleries, said Hatchman in The Independent. Aged in five different cask types, its "subtle bitterness" is expertly balanced with notes of vanilla and sweet honey.

£74.90, houseofmalt.co.uk

Togouchi Premium Blended Japanese Whisky

Crafted from a mix of Scottish malt and Canadian grain, and aged in an abandoned railway tunnel in the Chugoku distillery in Togouchi, this premium blended whisky has a "slightly peated nose of salted caramel", and is "light-weighted and saline on the palette", said Sylvia Wu in Decanter.

£45.99, houseofmalt.co.uk

Matsui Mizunara Single Malt

Made in rare Mizunara barrels, this single-malt expression from the Kurayoshi distillery has "fresh, floral aromas on the nose", a hint of spiciness and an "elegant finish" with just a "whisper" of coconut, said Hatchman in The Independent.

£136, thewhiskyexchange.com