SPIRITS OF THE RISING SUN

JAPANESE WHISKY IS STEPPING UP – AND THE WORLD IS TAKING NOTICE WORDS RICHARD HOLMES

WE HAVE JIM MURRAY to thank for this. Or, perhaps, to curse.

In 2015, Jim, who was then one of the most respected whisky writers, released his annual Whisky Bible, naming the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 as 'Best Whisky in the World'. Japanese whisky had arrived.

“That really made people sit up and take notice,” says Cameron Paulse, a whisky connoisseur and manager at Cape Town whisky bar The Old Bailey.

Almost overnight, the world very quickly discovered what the whisky connoisseurs had happily kept to themselves: Japanese whiskies were an exciting new frontier of spirits. Japan had actually been distilling whisky for over a century, and the wellkept secret was finally out. Stocks were snapped up, and prices skyrocketed.

Today, Japanese whisky has gone from niche to mainstream. Over the decade into 2021, the value of whisky exports rose 20-fold to more than ¥45-billion, sold largely in China, Europe and the United States.

While the Japanese have long taken inspiration from the Scots in crafting whisky, “Japanese whisky definitely has its own profile,” says Alex de Ujfalussy, a passionate whisky collector and founder of the NPF (Nose.Palate.Finish) Tasting Rooms in Johannesburg.

“It’s very clean. They keep the spirit at the forefront; there’s no huge wood profile.”

“The Japanese culture is very precise, and that comes through in the whisky,” agrees Cameron. “The flavour profile is very clean-cut. There’s a definite mouth feel; something special about the viscosity.”

That’s the good stuff, at least. For decades, Japanese distillers have taken advantage of vague regulations around what actually counted as a Japanese whisky, leading to a glut of sub-standard blended spirits on the market. Recognising the reputational risk, in 2021 the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association laid down a set of regulations regarding raw ingredients, method and origin.

But within those new regulations, there remains a defining culture of experimentation. “Because Japanese whiskies don’t have the strict legislation or tradition of somewhere like Scotland, it means they can really be quite creative,” says Dave Gunns, co-founder of Wild About Whisky in Dullstroom, where you’ll find 1700 whiskies, including a sizeable Japanese selection, behind the bar.

A key area of experimentation comes in the wooden barrels used for ageing. Many distillers work with indigenous Mizunara oak, which lends spicy notes of sandalwood and coconut to the spirit. Whiskies like Kamiki are aged in sakura – cherry wood – barrels while others are matured in casks of fragrant cedar wood or pine. Whiskies like Umiki are even diluted with desalinated seawater.

OPPOSITE: Nikka From the Barrel

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

Shinjiro Torii, the so-called father of Japanese whisky, built Japan’s first malt whisky distillery and was the country’s first Master Blender; Umiki Ocean Fused whisky; various Japanese single malts; Yamakazi Sherry Cask

“Blending whisky with salt water? It’s an innovation they simply wouldn’t allow in Scotland,” says Dave. “But it’s a mirror of Springbank or Wolfburn, where coastal maturation brings that salty character.”

And while local spirit-lovers are still starved of many of those more boutique releases, if you know where to look, you’ll definitely unearth some treasures.

At The Old Bailey, Nikka’s From the Barrel is the go-to for most guests looking to discover a good Japanese whisky, but you’ll also find Nikka Black – a 21-year-old with a hint of peat – as well as a rare Karuizawa 19-year-old. “Karuizawa is perhaps the most cult of Japanese whiskies,” says Cameron. “It’s been closed since 2001 and is famous for its intense sherry cask matured drams.”

The NPF Tasting Rooms offer around 600 unique whiskies for tasting, including about 40 Japanese bottlings. That includes Nikka malts finished in apple brandy casks, six expressions of the Akkeshi distillery and a highly covetable collection of malts by cult distillery Chichibu.

“You won’t find a single age-statement whisky in there,” says Alex. ”Everything is a single cask, a small batch or a limited edition bottling.” ■