stories : Feature
A Japanese Whisky Primer
Highland, Lowland, Hokkaido?
Japan is the second-largest producer of single-malt whiskey in the world after Scotland. Still, the island nation’s whisky (spelled without the e, just like Scotland’s) remains unknown to many.
Esquire spirits columnist and cocktail historian David Wondrich says that because of increasing attention being given to quality and innovation, Japanese whisky is going to show up on the radar more. “[The Japanese] are beginning to perfect their own specific style, and it’s very tasty and cool,” he says.
If you like single-malt Scotch, Japan’s offer new brands and flavors to check out. To make it easier, we’ve put together a primer.
Aaron Gilbreath is a native Arizonan whose ideal diet consists wholly of refried beans, Texas barbecue brisket, alder-smoked Copper River salmon, and sweet tea. He has written for Men’s Journal, US Airways, High Country News, Poets & Writers, Texas Highways, and High Desert Journal.
Thank you very much for this article. I've learned quite a bit now. I've only had Yamazaki 12 and 18 but find them to be indispensable in my whisky collection. I prefer milder Scotches, and to me they both hit the mark. Y18 is heaven.
Based on personal experience, I don't know if I would consider Yamazaki to be "widely available" in the U.S. Maybe online, but at stores it was hit-and-miss that swung more towards "miss." Granted I live in Idaho were they usually have between 5-10 bottles of Y12 in the entire state. But I used to be a lifelong L.A. native, and I only ever saw Y12 in larger liquor stores and Japanese supermarkets. I never saw any at BevMo. Y18 is even rarer. I only saw it at Japanese markets for $100. I requested it at the beverage warehouse I always went to and got it for $80 (that's still their price). They sell the Y12 for $34, which is a good price now because the price seems to have jumped dramatically. I was paying around $30 in Idaho, but now it has jumped to $45 since about February. I'm torn whether to mention the warehouse since I don't want to sound like a shill, but I'll mention the place and their website if someone requests it. They do ship.
If you want to pick up Japanese whisky a good place is the airport. There's a chain called "DFS" and you can find them at most major airports and they usually stock a pretty good overall selection of Japanese whiskys.