Japanese whisky: A straight-up hit

A moment in the Sun-tory If the first thing that comes to mind when you think of drinking in Japan is sake, you’re in the wrong spirit. Japanese whisky is having a renaissance, and although it’s been big in its homeland throughout its 100-year history, this is the first time it’s glittering in the global spotlight. Delicate and light, often holding notes of incense and sandalwood, Japanese whisky is known as a delightful alternative to peat-heavy Scotch or sweet American bourbon. It’s subtle enough to mix into a cocktail, yet complex enough to drink neat. A tendency to be dismissed as a novelty by global importers and bartenders was reversed in 2015, when the prestigious Whisky Bible [named a Suntory single malt]( the world’s best. Since then, [exports]( bottle prices, prizes, and the number of distilleries have all skyrocketed. Dawn Davies, head buyer for the UK-based Whisky Exchange, says she used to struggle to market Japanese whisky. Now, she says, her customers can’t get enough: “We could sell double what we have.” Grab a glass. It’s reading time. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Weekly Obsession] Japanese whisky December 09, 2020 A moment in the Sun-tory --------------------------------------------------------------- If the first thing that comes to mind when you think of drinking in Japan is sake, you’re in the wrong spirit. Japanese whisky is having a renaissance, and although it’s been big in its homeland throughout its 100-year history, this is the first time it’s glittering in the global spotlight. Delicate and light, often holding notes of incense and sandalwood, Japanese whisky is known as a delightful alternative to peat-heavy Scotch or sweet American bourbon. It’s subtle enough to mix into a cocktail, yet complex enough to drink neat. A tendency to be dismissed as a novelty by global importers and bartenders was reversed in 2015, when the prestigious Whisky Bible [named a Suntory single malt]( the world’s best. Since then, [exports]( bottle prices, prizes, and the number of distilleries have all skyrocketed. Dawn Davies, head buyer for the UK-based Whisky Exchange, says she used to struggle to market Japanese whisky. Now, she says, her customers can’t get enough: “We could sell double what we have.” Grab a glass. It’s reading time. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [$435,273:]( Record auction price for a Japanese whisky, set at Sotheby’s in March 2020 for a 52-year-old bottle of Karuizawa [$135.8 million:]( Total value of Japanese whisky exports in 2018, up 233% since 2013 [$3.4 billion:]( Estimated domestic whisky sales in Japan in 2020, up 24% since 2016 [$1.7 billion:]( 2019 profits for Suntory, the country’s biggest whisky producer (pdf) [293.2 million liters (77.5 million gallons):]( Volume of whisky exported by Suntory in 2017—about the volume of a crude oil supertanker Charted[A chart showing a rise in liters of whisky produced in Japan since 2008.] Reuters/Sophie Knight Origin story Whether that golden spirit in your glass is “whiskey” or “whisky” depends on where it’s from. American producers use the “e,” while Japan shares the streamlined version with Scotland. That makes sense: Although Japanese whisky found an early fan base among American soldiers stationed there, its roots are Scottish. Masataka Taketsuru, who [helped found]( the country’s first distillery, at the company that became Suntory, in 1923, studied chemistry at the University of Glasgow and malt whisky brewing at Longmorn Distillery in Moray. By the 1950s, Taketsuru and his [partner-turned-rival]( Shinjiro Torii guided the nascent whisky industry into its own, as the country emerged from World War II and a growing middle class thirsted for symbols of Western culture. In the 1980s, distillers found huge success marketing cheaper bottles as an after-work alternative to beer for patrons of izakaya, casual neighborhood bars. Brief history [1853:]( US naval commander Matthew Perry introduces whisky to Japan when he serves it during a trade mission. [1880s:]( Japanese entrepreneurs begin importing European and American liquors, as well as cutting-edge distilling equipment. [1918:]( A young Masataka Taketsuru is dispatched to Scotland by his employer, the sake brewer Settsu Shuzo. He returns two years later with a Scottish wife, Rita, and takes a new job with wine merchant Shinjiro Torii, who was keen to pivot to whisky. [1923:]( Taketsuru and Torii set up Yamazaki, the country’s first whisky distillery, which would evolve into Suntory, outside Osaka. [1934:]( Just after the end of Prohibition, Taketsuru sends his first whisky exports to the US. The Chicago Tribune moans: “Could anything be more like a nightmare, more horrific in every sense of the word than Japanese Scotch?” [1940-50s:]( Taketsuru quits Suntory and sets up a rival shop, Nikka, which competes for the palates and wallets of American officers stationed in Japan. [1950-1980:]( Domestic whisky production booms and consumption climbs more than 500% as its popular image changes from a drink exclusively for foreigners or elites to something more proletarian. [1996:]( The World Trade Organization sides with Scottish producers in a tariff dispute and eliminates Japanese taxes on imported liquors. Imported whisky suddenly plummets in price, and several major distillers go bust. [2001:]( Nikka wins its first major international award, from Whisky Magazine. [2008:]( Suntory begins to revive the domestic market by aggressively marketing whisky highballs with ads featuring The Last Samurai star Koyuki. [2015:]( Whisky Bible gives Suntory its top accolade, launching a global boom that continues today. Quotable “Near indescribable genius,” with “a nose of exquisite boldness” and “as thick, dry, [and] as rounded as a snooker ball.” —[Whisky expert Jim Murray]( in his 2015 citation for Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, the first from Japan to be crowned the world’s best whisky Reuters/Issei Kato Cocktail tracing --------------------------------------------------------------- Today, Japanese whisky may have become a victim of its own success. Many of the best whiskies age in barrels for at least a decade, and the global boom caught Japanese producers unprepared. Now, bottles with “age statements” older than a few years have become rare and outrageously expensive. A 10-year-old Suntory sells on Whisky Exchange for [$568]( while a highly-rated Laphroaig Scotch of the same age goes for just [$50](. A 14-year-old bottle from the now-defunct Hanyu distillery that Dawn Davies says she bought for herself in 2014 for a few hundred dollars now goes for $9,500 (that’s $13.50 per milliliter—don’t spill!). While distillers play catch-up, most run-of-the-mill Japanese whiskies are now too young to carry any age label at all, which Tokyo-based cocktail [critic and bar guide Liam McNulty]( (aka “Whiskey Richard”) says has arguably damaged the industry’s cachet. “A lot of whisky drinkers are adamant that since the age statements went away, the quality has taken a hit,” he told Quartz. “But one of the strengths of Japanese whisky is that the blenders can do amazing things even with younger whiskies.” Whether or not the quality has declined, the overwhelming demand has pushed some distillers into unscrupulous territory. Unlike the stringent rules for Scotch or Champagne, Japan has [no legal regulation]( for what constitutes legitimate “Japanese” whisky. There’s nothing to stop companies from importing large quantities of low-cost whiskey from the US, slapping a new label on it, and calling it Japanese—and indeed, many [do just that](. While some industry insiders have [pushed the government]( to crack down on fake whiskies, McNulty says many low-end producers resist the idea, fearing that new regulations will force them to raise the price of bottles for the domestic market, which is still the industry’s primary cash cow. Either way, he said, “transparency in Japanese whisky is absolutely not where it needs to be.” Giphy Pop quiz The “Japanese Whisky Highball” contains its namesake as well as what other ingredient? Orange juiceSoda waterSakeEnergy drink Correct. Kampai! Incorrect. No, but that also sounds pretty good. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Fun fact! Cask mandates --------------------------------------------------------------- In Scotland, distillers frequently swap casks and unaged whiskies, even with rivals, in pursuit of a perfect blend. In Japan, [cask-trading is taboo]( instead, distillers experiment with different methods and materials in-house. And since, in the early days, oak was too expensive to import from the US or Europe, most Japanese distillers built their casks from a local variety called [mizunara]( which is key to the whisky’s complex flavor. Watch this! Suntory time! --------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Murray looks in genuine need of a drink as he struggles to reach a sufficient emotional “intensity” while filming a Suntory commercial in Sofia Coppola’s 2003 hit Lost In Translation. Bottoms up Try Japanese whisky in just about any of your favorite cocktails. Here’s a recommendation from [Tokyo-based whisky exporter dekantā:]( The Beast Ingredients: - 2 cubes of sugar - 4 dashes of Angostura bitters - 1 lemon wheel - 1 lime wheel - 1 orange wheel - 1 cocktail cherry - 1/2 teaspoon Grenadine syrup - 1/4 cup of your finest Japanese whisky - A splash of ginger ale Put the sugar cubes in a glass, add citrus wheels, cherry, and grenadine. Smash it just enough to release the juices and oils. Add a little whisky and ice cubes, then stir. Finally, top up with ginger ale or club soda. Suntory Poll What’s your favorite whisky? [Click here to vote]( Japanese is really neatA tumbler of sweet southern bourbon, y’allProper Scotch only, ye radge wee shite!Sláinte! It’s Irish!Ugh, the whole genre is gross AP Photo/Matt York Membership Want a little water with your whisky? --------------------------------------------------------------- For the last 100 years, water in the American west has rarely been priced on the open market. Water rights were bought and sold through private contracts and government deeds, and public agencies doled out most of the coveted commodity. But on Dec. 7, trading began in the first futures market for water. Farmers, businesses, and investors can now pay to lock in the future price of water in California. Michael Coren will [help you get your feet wet]( in the world of water futures. [Become a member.]( 💬 let's talk! 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