Japanese whiskies you need to try

If you ask to get us excited about Japanese drinks, we will of course think of the joys of sake, awamori, and shōchū. But we are Master of Malt and whisky will always demand our attention too. Given that we’re shouting out all things Japanese at the moment, it seemed silly not to talk about whisky from Japan that we think you would enjoy. So here’s some recommendations.

Yamazaki 12 Year Old 

Today we told the story of Yamazaki because Suntory’s flagship single malt whisky is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Of all the expressions Japan’s first and oldest malt distillery has released, the 12 year old is arguably the most defining. It was the first seriously marketed Japanese single malt whisky when it was launched in 1984 and remains a wonderfully elegant and smooth single malt packed with flavour.

Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve

Here from Hakushu (pronounced Hak-shoo) we have a Japanese whisky made from lightly-peated and heavily-peated with a bright, green, and herbaceous character that’s quite unique and really worth trying. It’s hard to think of an immediate comparison. If you think you’ve sampled it all but haven’t tasted this, you should remedy that.