Suntory may be running low on whisky from Yamazaki, but that probably leaves them with plenty of empty casks. They have now announced a new edition of their Yamazaki cask-aged umeshu. This one is not simply aged in Yamazaki casks, but charred Yamazaki casks. That should […]

At the foot of Mt. Fuji lies Kirin’s one and only distillery: the Fuji Gotemba Distillery. It’s an easy daytrip from Tokyo, making this another no-brainer for any fan of Japanese whisky. About Fuji Gotemba Distillery Despite dominating the Japanese beer and chuhai scene, Kirin […]

Is Nikka Whisky readying a third whisky distillery in Kagoshima? That’s the question that’s been floating around my head for the past, I dunno, ten minutes. Japan’s National Tax Agency has issued a whisky distillation license to Nikka Whisky for their Satsuma Tsukasa Distillery. At […]

The latest infographic makes it easy to tell if the “Japanese” whisky you’re drinking is actually Japanese or not! This is a bit of a hot-button topic at the moment — see my recent interview with Dave Broom to find out why. There’s also a […]

Two of the newest Japanese craft gins to hit the scene are 9148 from Sapporo’s Benizakura Distilley, and Hinata from Kyoya Distillery in Miyazaki Prefecture. Tonight we’re drinking both! Benizakura Distillery 9148 Recipe 0101 Review Full disclosure, both of the gins I’m drinking tonight I’ve […]

Today is July 3, 2018. Exactly 100 years ago today, the founder of Nikka Whisky, Masataka Taketsuru, set out on a journey that would alter the history of Japanese whisky. Based primarily on his serialized autobiography originally published in Nikkei in 1968, in Part One of […]

The newly refurbished Saburomaru Distillery is looking for 100 people to become partial cask owners. For 26,000 yen, you’ll receive two bottles of whisky from Saburomaru roughly five years from now. They expect the new pot to head into a bourbon cask in August, then mature, […]

The clear drink fad currently happening in Japan isn’t stopping at soft drinks. Japan now has two clear beers: Suntory All-Free All-Time and Asahi’s Clear Craft. Bottoms up! Suntory All-Free All-Time As previously reported, this one was released on June 19. It’s 0% abv, zero […]

Two new awards to add to the mantle! Sakurao Gin Original has won “Best of Gin” at the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, a first for any Japanese gin. Read my recent review of Sakurao Original here! Right behind that, Asahi has announced that Nikka […]

Nikka Black Deep Blend Extra Sweet looks to be the latest variation of budget-friendly blended whisky out of Nikka, slated for release on or around September 11. It has just popped up on Amazon JP for a 2,138 yen, so a 700 yen premium over […]