In November of last year, Japan business daily Nikkei revealed that Kirin intended to make an investment to increase their whisky production capacity at the Fuji Gotemba Distillery. We now have an official announcement from Kirin themselves to the same effect. They plan to upgrade […]

Another one bites the dust! This time the sad news comes from Kirin, who has begun informing retailers, bars/izakaya, and distributors that the death of their blended Fuji Sanroku Tarujuku 50° is imminent. While Suntory and Nikka have killed or suspended some of their more premium whiskies […]

2018 hasn’t been the greatest year for Japanese whisky. While we’ve seen some new distilleries pop out new born whiskies, for the established players, things have been pretty gloomy. But finally, there’s some good news out of Shizuoka Prefecture. Kirin has announced that beginning August […]

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 […]

Although Dec 25-29 is a regular workweek here in Japan, things are definitely winding down for the year. Barring any major announcements I expect this Chuhai Watch to be my last post of 2017. It’s been an amazing year for the Japanese alcohol industry and […]

The winter chuhai onslaught continues, with 4 more chuhais coming soon to a Japan near you! Kirin is up first with Hyoketsu Beni Hoppe, using a particular brand of strawberry from Shizuoka prefecture known for being red and juicy. Beni Hoppe roughly translates as “red […]

Both coming on November 14, two new winter chuhais from Kirin! The first is Kirin Bitters Yuzu, 9% abv and 350ml. When squeezing the fruit to make this one, Kirin includes the peel as well, giving the yuzu flavor a slightly more bitter flavor than […]

The latest entry in Kirin’s Tabisuru Hyoketsu (“Traveling” Hyoketsu) is Forest Berry, set to release on October 17. This one is supposed to remind you of that berry drink you had while on that lake shore, in that forest, in Finland. More spefically it’s a […]

Kirin is rolling deep with Johnny Walker to open the Johnny Walker Highball Studio pop-up in Roppongi Hills during September. I’ve never really seen Johnny Walker be pushed as a whisky for highballs in Japan, but it’s blended and cheap enough, so why not? There are […]

Bring it on! Three new flavors coming in from Suntory, and one from Kirin. Suntory’s Kokushibori Grapefruit uses a whopping 40% actual fruit juice as well as grapefruit liqueur. 6% abv, 350ml, already released a week ago! In the same series is the Kokushibori Pineapple, […]