A beginner’s guide to Japanese whisky

Much like the nation that produces it, Japanese whisky (drawing from Scottish tradition, they tend to leave out the ‘e’) has a certain sense of mystique about it. While most modern distilleries around the world are mechanical powerhouses, churning out liquor on an industrial scale, imagine a Japanese distillery and you’ll likely picture something plucked from a Ghibli movie, probably set on a mountainside in a forest of Hinoki pines.

This unquantifiable aura, combined with the fact Japanese producers put much more emphasis on blends and provenance than cask types and finishing, makes Japanese whisky complex. It’s a tricky subject to approach for a beginner, which is ironic, because the country is famed for making some of the lightest, most approachable and delicately complex whiskies in the world. Put simply, there’s a reason some Japanese whiskies, most famously the Hibiki distillery’s age-statement offerings, have all but disappeared  through sheer demand.

So, what sets Japan’s whiskies apart? There’s a certain romanticism attached to Japanese whisky and its connection with nature that other countries simply can’t rival. They have a knack for highlighting a particular sense of place that practically leaps out of the bottle. Sniff a dram of Hakushu, for instance, and its bright herbaceous notes and subtle smokiness immediately bring to mind the forest where it was made. 

Japanese whiskies also tend to be incredibly light and smooth, making them a much more palatable entry point for first-time whisky drinkers than the complex Scotches and rich bourbons you might have been introduced to so far.

Much like Scotch, however, this also means that Japanese whiskies vary drastically between distilleries, begging the age-old question of where exactly to start. These seven malts perfectly sum up the spirit of this style of whisky, offering not just a perfect starting point for a Japanese collection, but also a journey into wider whisky appreciation.