MERCI X WHISKIES & MORE
SPIRITS
Japanese Liquid Gold Written by and photos courtesy of Hil Ying Tse
You must be living under a rock, if you have not heard of Japanese whisky in recent years! Yet, with a history of whisky making of almost 100 years, the popularity of Japanese whisky only catapulted in the last two decades. The rise of the Japanese liquid gold led to a fast-growing following, while producers were caught off guard and couldn’t keep up with the immense demand. As we know, whisky takes time to age and is not an instant ready product. In order to meet the never-ending demand, some producers started looking at alternatives. The applicable law for whisky labelling in Japan has not been significantly changed since its inception, hence the definition of “Japanese Whisky” was simplistic. As long as the product is bottled in Japan, “Japanese Whisky” can be used on the label. The lenient applicable law for whisky labelling in Japan, compared to its counterparts in Scotland and the United States, created a confusing and blurry category for Japanese Whisky. Although many producers are transparent and open about the content of their products, many are unfortunately not.
The broad definition of the labelling term “Japanese Whisky” made it hard to distinguish if the product is actually a whisky produced in Japan or any spirits bottled in Japan. At the beginning of this year, the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association has announced stricter rules for using the term Japanese Whisky on the label that is applicable from April 2021 onwards. In a nutshell, Japanese Whisky is only allowed on the label if the whisky is produced in Japan, including the fermentation, distillation, maturation and bottling processes. With these new rules, Japanese whisky will truly represent a whisky produced in Japan.
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