We are Paying our respects to Daniel, Rex, Whiskey Vault and the Whisky Tribe! We really enjoyed this episode along with the rest of your content. We just wanted to say that here and now, and we hope that you see this comment. This episode is really enjoyable with all the Japanese Whisky coverage and Memes. Much Love to you all!
Fun fact: The Hibiki 30 bottle is special. Hibiki bottles across the whole range except the 30 have 24 facets, representing the traditional 24 seasons in Japanese culture. The 30, for obvious reasons, has 30 facets.
I live in Japan (southern part of Kyushu). The big electronics box store a 15-minute walk away from me has a liquor department (intended to trap Chinese tourists that don't come here anymore because of Covid). Pretty much every whiskey reviewed here is available on the shelves there. And it's all expensive. They're all probably twice the price of what you'd pay in Austin. And just about every bottle is 40% ABV or under (maybe 35% or 37%), and many in half-sized bottles. Right now, I'm drinking Bushmill's The Original, 700 ml, 40% - $20 USD. A much better deal.
I bought Nikka from the Barrel for like $30 in Family Mart in Chiba couple years ago. Pretty sure in supermarkets whiskey is even cheaper. My local regular supermarkets and most online stores sell whiskey 50-100% more expensive than a few dedicated liquor stores. So perhaps you just need to find the right liquor department.
@@blake4465 The irony is that many bourbons get shipped off to Japan in large quantities, leaving the domestic supply so small that it becomes heavily allocated and sought after with crazy gouging on the secondary market because of the rarity in the US.
@@smashexentertainment676 Nikka from the Barrel is so comically expensive now. Was my cheap go-to while I was there, $25 / bottle, a couple months before it hit WA's list. Wish I had brought some home but I used the two bottle allotment on "half price" Yoichi. My friend otoh was smart and brought back 10 bottles of the Barrel and snuck through customs lol.
@@revums I get it for roughly 30 eur here in Scandinavia. Fair price in my opinion. In my country the price varies from 30 to 55 eur, so you just need to find the right store.
Thank you for making this an episode. I’ve always been interested in Japanese whiskey but I’ve been scared to accidentally buy something fake. This was very informative!
I was actually given a bottle of Nikka 17 as a gift years ago and it’s sat on display now. The end of this vid has me properly excited to crack that bottle some day waaaaay down the line.
I was talking to my coworker recently and he mentioned how much he loved Japanese whiskey. And knowing this guy, I am 100% convinced that he just said that because it is "japanese" but i responded that you have to be careful and pay attention to where it actually comes from because not many Japanese whiskeys are actually japanese. He didn't believe me and I had to actually explain to him in great detail about international existing liquor laws work. Glad to hear that they are changing it so you know what you are getting.
Some clarifications: 1) 3:50 Nikka didn't have any coffey stills until they opened their Miyagikyo distillery in 1967. Speaking of Nikka, my favourite part about Nikka is the first masters did internships in Scotland. They wrote letters asking if they could go over and learn, and the Scots were delighted to show them how it all worked. I e-mailed them a couple of years ago asking if Nikka allowed people without permanent residency to do the same and they said no. 😒 2) Rice alcohol aged in barrels IS considered whisky in Japan. I believe the distinction is that they cannot call it whisky if they use koji mold. 3) You didn't talk about the most important part about this whole thing, which is WHY a lot of distilleries are sourcing from around the world. There was a massive slump in demand for Japanese whisky from the 1980s. So much so that a lot of distilleries simply went out of business. Ichiro's Malt is a perfect example of this. Their most recent single malt release was called On The Way because they're still aging their good stuff. The worldwide blends are just a necessary evil for them to make enough money to stay in business long enough to sell their nice single malts when they're ready. I just wish they were all honest and up front about it.
You're almost right about point 3, but taking Chichibu as an example wasn't really the best choice. Chichibu is one of the earliest (2008) post-boom distilleries (I went there to visit in 2013) and their 'on the way' releases are made from 2013 going forward. For about a decade Ichiro Akuto is already releasing properly aged single malts from his distillery like 'the peated', 'chibidaru' and 'the floor malted' (although most of his releases are NAS / 3 years). His longest stated aged and released whiskies with Chichibu spirit are ~10 years old. He did do some world whisky releases but those were always properly stated and never used the Chichibu label. Most of the money to fund his distillery comes from releasing old stock and blends from his fathers Hakushu distillery and Karuizawa. Two early 'restarts' (after Japanese Whisky gained world popularity) that produce quality whisky are Mars distilleries and White Oak Eigashima. They also both bottle and sell properly aged single malts for a decade now. Mars had their own old stock to sell off and financed their revival with that, Eigashima was primarilly producing Sake and other liquors so they 'just' started to increase their whisky production off-season. With the distillers that survived the '80s and kept producing, like Nikka, Suntory and Fuji Gotemba, there is quite a collection of authentic Japanese whisky avalable, however most aged releases were sold out in the whisky boom period in the early 2000s. That's why it's hard to find new over-aged Japanese Whisky... All the young stuff sells too well as NAS releases so there is little left to age further, unless you let a passionate distiller/blender take the lead instead of a marketing department. Now for many of the other (new) distilleries like Nagahama and Shinobu, yes, they finance their startup period mostly with world whisky releases. But they are in an earlier state of development than the above given examples and they really had to start from scratch.
In Nikka's defense, Scottish immigration/residency policies in the 1920s are probably extremely different from Japanese immigration/residency policies in the 2020s and Japanese immigration law is not something Nikka can control. Shochu labeled as rice whisky is a complicated topic because it all boils down to Japanese alcohol laws which are, as laws always are, kind of screwed up and not primarily intended to ensure a good experience for product consumers in the modern market. The law is super relaxed about allowing rebadged imports to be bottled and sold as Japanese whisky because Japanese whisky law is a tax definition more than anything else.
I love the way the do ads so much that during this I went into the other room for a minute came back in and saw the ending of the ad and literally rewound it to see what it was. I’ve never done that before for an ad
I'm just glad they start creating rules to be called Japanese whiskey, I usually stick to Suntory and Nikka, I agree prices are ridiculous and just because of hype there's a lot of not so good Japanese whiskey. I don't think it's a lot to ask as a consumer to clearly State on a bottle where is juice coming from and how old it is, but then again if it tastes good just drink it. Cheers to all MB!!!
Sorry: Daniel, you mention that grain spirits aren't allowed to be of amber colour here in Japan since it would be 'confused with whisky'. That's not necessarily true. Okinawan shochu called 'awamori' has an older version called 'koshu' which litteraly means 'old alcohol' and it can be a light amber in colour. But, it isn't considered a whisk(e)y, which is correct.
Shame Japanese Whisky is so heavily overpriced in Australia. Luckily I have a Whisky Bar in town that stocks anything worth while and with great knowledge so I do get to atleast taste them. Anyway.... cheerzumagniffsentbazterdz!!!
I was hopeing you guys were going to tear Kurayoshi a new one and talk about how they one an award for “Best Japanese Whisky” while being all sourced 😡😡😡…😂😉 And the only thing that sucks about those new JSMA standards (we discussed it a lot in my local group here in Okinawa JP) is that you have to be apart of the JSMA for it to apply to you. And even then…they have no way to enforce those rules as of yet to its own memebers. It is a step in the right direction and hopefully here soon we get some huge legal backing and rules. Although the Shochu makers have a heavy influence over the tax laws here so who knows 🤷🏽 same as to why that “Too dark color to be Shochu” rule hasn’t changed. Cheers fellas and awesome video!
It's expected that shame will bring producers in line with the JSLMA industry rules. And hopefully the JSLMA rules will be used as the basis for a change in law, since the Japanese whisky laws right now are almost entirely just a tax definition instead of a proper product category definition. As long as it's categorized accurately so the government can get their cut, they don't care what's in the bottle. I would think that Beam-Suntory and Asahi (who own Nikka) could swing some pretty big clubs to pressure the govt into it, and by clubs I mean lobbying money.
The story on Fukano is even more interesting that you make it out to be. In Japan, they have something similar to Whiskey made with rice. It's called Awamori. It's traditionally 30-60 proof. Originally it was made in Okinawa for well over a thousand years, and during WWII all of it was destroyed as well as the old stocks. It's made with malted rice ( as well as other added components - the laws are less strict ) and is essentially whiskey. Aged versions of it typically mature to drinkable quality at about 20 years, so it's a lengthy investment and it's a bit pricey. Eventually they rebuilt the industry, and started putting out good quality product in the late 70s, but the Japanese government forbids anyone to export it outside of Japan. Any that you see in the U.S. is fake or is a single bottle brought over by a tourist. This, of course, really upsets the companies there who want to cash in on the whole "Whiskey" hype, especially as they believe that their rice whiskey is unique and superior. Fukano found a way around this and got batches of it into the U.S. by claiming that it's old Shochu - *ahem* I mean "Whiskey". Again, more lies and waiving of hands. :) But it is lovely stuff.
私は沖縄に住んでいたのですが、恐らく、輸出し易い国と難しい国があります。アメリカは免許のある法人を挟まないと難しいですね。 I used to live in Okinawa and probably there are some countries that are easy to export to and some countries that are difficult. The USA is difficult unless you go through a licensed corporation.
I have a bottle of Nikka from the Barrel. It's one of my favorites I have in stock. It basically taste like Glenlivet 12, but with a higher proof and a little sweeter.
Love your content. Any chance we can get a video about Indian whisk(e)y? I had one the other day and realized I know almost nothing about Indian whisk(e)y.
@@skippityblippity8656 that’s like saying all Irish whiskey sucks. Just because you have had a bad one, doesn’t mean the whole countries whiskey is poor.
Indian whisky is a complicated topic because the actual standards for what can qualify as "whisky" in India are very loose and you can basically make something that's almost entirely neutral grain spirits and call it whisky. However, there are distilleries in India that are making quality, world-competitive whiskies like Amrut.
whoa! you cant diss on Ichiro's white label. They even include a map on the back label showing which countries they source from. and it tastes loads better than Suntory Ao. unfortunately the Ichiro's sells for a premium in the states whereas its only $35 here in Japan
Just a note, the actual _law_ hasn't changed in Japan. The Japan Spirits & Liqueur Makers Association implemented new regulations to apply to their industry members, and there is no penalty mechanism for enforcement. It's expected that shame will force people into line, though. Ideally, these industry regs will form the basis of a change in Japanese law in the somewhat-near future.
Context is very important. Both Nikka and Suntory took big scissors to their age statement lines because Japan is just starting to claw its way out of the Japanese whisky supply crisis they created for themselves when white spirits became popular 20-30 years ago and production of whisky dropped to meet the market's new hotspots. Japanese whisky then had a major revival while this massive hole in aged casks slowly moved to the forefront. Both Nikka and Suntory have been investing huge amounts of cash and manpower into distilling their way out of this hole, with double shifts to lay down more casks. We're still about 5-10 years away from them digging themselves free.
Due to Whiskey Vault I was fortunate enough to snag a few Japanese bottles early on, while I know some of them are "Japanese whisky" that doesn't make them less enjoyable. Hibiki Harmony & Nikka from the Barrel are two bottles that I've bought due to being a member of The Tribe over the years. I've yet to have any of the other types of Japanese whiskey since the rules are being better mitigated... but I hope to get a few more bottles into my collection someday. I also must say the random stuff in the B rolls and the dancing guy in the back is hilarious. 🖖😎🥃
A better thing to say would be i hope the law makers get out of the way. The standards could be a private standard, thus allowing weirdness that doesn't get stopped by laws, but can be labelled more properly
I've run into these problems where I live. I almost bought shinobu. Because I'm really into scotch but I like to branch out. and I saw on the fine print. I'm glad I looked before buying. The artwork is very misleading. It's probably not a bad product, just be honest with your customers.
That's my concern with the whole thing. What's in the bottle is probably fine, but it's being marketed, labeled, and priced dishonestly. The local liquor stores around me have multiple "fake" Japanese whiskies like Shinobu and I'd probably enjoy at least half of them but I won't buy them because they're marked up to hell with Japanese whisky hype tax. I can get equal-tier Scotch for cheaper, and since I'm lucky enough to live a few hours from the distillery I can get a quality Shelter Point wine cask-finished single malt for the same price instead.
Good stuff. You should also mention that Suntory owns Jim Beam, which owns many distilleries, which makes them one of the largest whiskey producer in the world. Also, there are many up and coming distilleries in Japan, and most of them start out selling blends sourced from elsewhere while their own whiskies age. Ichiro’s as well, but he uses whisky he rescued from his father’s distillery which closed down years ago. Ichiro’s finally have 10 years for sale which is very good. The new self imposed regulation is great, the only problem is they are so damn expensive!!!
In the early 80s, I lived on a remote beach in the rainforest country of Far North Queensland, Australia. The beach itself was part of a long bay with a bordering reef and it was not too far from the main shipping channel for cargo ships coming from Asia to Australian ports in the south. Anyway, the most common alcoholic beverage bottle that washed up on the shore was empty Suntory Whisk(e)y bottles of various sizes. In those days, Suntory bottles had the name moulded onto the glass at the base of the bottle.
That gameshow seems to be Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! It gave us such classics as "no laugh or you get beat with a stick" and "24 hour tag".
Lived and worked in Japan and have been back many times. Just returned from Tokyo. Japanese whisky has a way to go before it recovers. Best thing I had was Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The Peated 2018 release but good luck finding it outside Japan. Also, I figured out where all of the Springbank disappeared to. 😎
Hey, guys. Love your channel. Been watching it for several years, now. I've kinda fallen out of the whiskey hobby, mainly because I couldn't justify the amount of money I was spending on it. lol. I still like watching your channel, though, because I still like learning more about it. I have a request. When you back reference another episode, can you put the link to that episode in the video notes? I'm really curious where that sulfer/match video you referenced is going.
Asian Canadian here, I found it's much cheaper to get actual Japanese whiskey in airports of any major Asian cities than in NA, for example, Hibiki Master selected. Santory is really a pillar in Japanese whiskey, but recently they have been selling questionable lines just to cash in on the Hibiki/Yamazaki fame. Nikka is one of the brands that I really keep to myself, especially the miyagikyo. Fun fact, Nikka also makes vodka and gin from the Coffey still, I think it's available in Montreal? I haven't seen them anywhere else in NA yet.
Hibiki Master Select is a travel retail exclusive so that's why you find it in airports and not in most liquor stores. Also, what do you mean by Suntory selling "questionable lines"? All of their current expressions, according to them, comply with the new industry rules. Nikka, on the other hand, has been making use of the fact that they own Ben Nevis and almost every single one of their whiskies does not actually count as Japanese whisky because they've been pinching Ben Nevis casks for themselves, with the Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts, Taketsuru pure malt, and Nikka Coffey Grain being the exceptions. And don't get me wrong, I'm a Nikka fan.
This is one of the absolute best episodes yet. Anyone else envisioning the impact it could have if Rex and Daniel could get an audience in front of a panel of legislators. I'm imagining a whiskey tasting inside of a capital dome. :-)
Thank you for this video. I just had this conversation with a friend who dropped over 1000 dollars on sourced "Japanese" whiskies... He sounded so excited at first before I started talking to him...
You might want to make sure that you're clear to your friend that you're talking about the labeling and marketing of the bottles he bought and whether they're being transparent and honest about the origin of the whisky. What is in the bottle might taste fine, it's just not necessarily made where he thought it was. A friend of mine went to Japan months before the pandemic kicked off and he found a 12-year-old bottle of something that was totally not "real" Japanese whisky... but it still tasted pretty good according to him (and he's had Hibiki before).
Daniel, "This is Nikka 17 years." Me, gasping. To all the tribe, if you can get your hands on either Yoichi Single Malt or Miyagikyo Single Malt, even without age statement they are worth the extra $. Nikka will rebuild it's stocks, I have no doubt, and return to age statements, some day, probably when my kids are old enough to drink with me :-)
I love that you too wear black all year. I only wear black tee shirts too… but I live in Northern NY and can wave at Canada. If I lived in TX I’d probably never even wear cotton shirts. God bless you guys.
Technically, it should be a phosphoric note when thinking of a match, but you probably don't taste/smell a difference. Great video, but I'm not sure if I'll go out of my way to get Japanese whiskey in Central NY. I haven't seen it in any local liquor stores.
Do the new proposed standards include distillation to no higher than 82.5% and casking at no higher than 62.5%? Labeling restrictions if neutral grain spirits are introduced, and must they be introduced into the barrels and aged 3 years etc ... ? What about labeling 'single' and 'malt' etc ... ?
The still proof is limited to 95%, there is zero mention of neutral grain spirits, _malted grain_ must ALWAYS be used but other (unmalted) grains may be used with it, and it must be aged in Japan in wooden casks no larger than 700L for a minimum of three years. The regulations make no changes to the terms single or malt, and Japan is unique in that it maintains use of the term "pure malt" to describe a blend of malt whiskies while that term is banned in Scotland. Saccharification, fermentation, distillation, aging, and bottling must all take place in Japan, and all water used in production must be extracted in Japan.
Akashi, aka White Oak Eigashima, is a fantastic distillery and sake brewery for that matter. They technically had the first whiskey distilling license in Japan, circa 1919, but didn't use it until the 1960s, Suntory was the first to distill whiskey in the country
One side note, not all shochu is made from rice. They can also be made from either sweet potato or barley. Barley shochu has been my favorite of the three.
I had a few years when I only bought Japanese whisky but basically i only bought from Suntory and Nikka but then i realized how much they cost so i went back to Scotch mostly Islay now
Gotta get some legal standards for Texas soon. And something for the Pacific Northwest, as well. We are already seeing stuff that has *no* relation to either Washington or Oregon on shelves and they are *all* disappointing. How you do that with _two_ states, I don't know but ... It seems like Texas lawmakers would be super into protecting the state's brand. What's the holdup?
That said, most people, especially in Texas WILL read the label and not touch something made elsewhere that claims to be made in their great state. So they have a little more breathing room to get things hammered down. But not a lot. And all of the disappointing stuff is re-blended cheaper blends from Indiana/MGP - throw a story and label on it, add 3-6 months of aging in casks somewhere so you can claim it's "aged", and presto - your own "distillery". It tastes like $20 whiskey because it is $20 whiskey once you get past the lies and marketing. And, yes, where I live, we have a company doing that. Smoke Wagon. It's MGP with some stuff done to it. They are located in Nevada, but it's just bottled here. I found it to be incredibly "meh" compared to the actual distillery nearby, Las Vegas Distillery. The water and climate make a difference in the process and it tastes quite different, IMO. LVD is interesting in that it has a story not too different than the guys here at Crowded Barrel. They put out their first Bourbon I think 5 or 6 years ago. So we are in the same boat as many states now trying to get regulations hammered down so that what is in the bottle is from the state it was made in.
Harbinger, not bragging just saying I had to travel from Rochester NY to NJ to get it, and I will not confirm nor deny the possibility of 3.25 Bottles worth sitting at home. It is so good.
Hibiki Harmony is so good! Nikka Coffee grain is also good, not as good as Harmony but excellent. Ironically I unintentionally bought these in this order too.
I'm kicking myself for not discovering and understanding whisky 15-20 years ago. The entire collective alcohol marketing industry failed to explain to me EVEN SLIGHTLY why people would drink whisky other than spending a lot of money to get smashed when they could just buy vodka for much cheaper. It took these two clowns (
I love Japan and my wife and I love visiting Japan (even been to two distilleries), but I never found Japanese whisk(e)y to be worth the price. HOWEVER, I like getting Suntory Toki JUST for High Balls. That flavor profile is very similar (at least to my memory) to the canned Suntory High Balls you can get at Japanese convivence stores. So the past year or so, when I am feeling serious Fernweh - I mix that stuff up with some plain soda/seltzer water and wedge of lemon and I get to feel like I am traveling. Even drink it with some pickles, rice crackers, edamame or other Japanese-like snacks to feel like I am in some Izakaya (minus the 300 yen cover charge).
Honestly, its something i will miss. I currently live in Japan and love those highballs. Wish i had ine in the fridge now. Also, i just recently found out amazon in Japan ships whisky!
Rule of thumb most affordable Japanese whisky is likely one or both of - not very good/not actually Japanese. Then some of the pricier stuff doesn’t necessarily stack up against alternative Scotch or other whisky at similar price points.
Hey guys consider releasing a namesake whisky from your distillery in memory of greatest Texan of all time and prtotype for all magnificent bastards... BIll Hicks.
Living in Japan I watched this to try and figure out what was a good option over here, and I feel like this was a very different video than I was looking for, but still very interesting.
Loved the Taketsuru 12 and 17. Still have a few bottles. They deffinitely used Ben Nevis in this line. They have "apparently" stopped due to pressure, but hard to find the facts on this.
You guys should try Yama by bainbridge mizunara cask. I believe the only American Japanese whiskey, as bainbridge won the mizunara wood in an auction and made barrels out of it! Smells like banana bread! Love it and love the Channel
Buy Nikka Whisky. It’s much better than Suntory Yamazaki. Try the Coffey Grain and Yoichi. They are still under the radar and are authentic Japanese whisky.
They don't use Ben Nevis distillate in their single malts, nor in the Coffey Grain that was tasted in this video, and there's still a Scottish influence in those because of the historical connections between Nikka and Scotch. They use Ben Nevis spirit in almost EVERY OTHER expression in their current product lineup, but Nikka aims for Scotch-like character as their profile.
I have tasted the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 that Jim Murray praised so highly... and found it very disappointing (not a great difference from Glenfarclas 12?). The closest I've had to what I believe Masataka Taketsuru wanted to make all along was a 20-year-old single cask Yoichi (but the best Japanese whisky I own is from the closed Hanyu distillery).
I stopped by anything Japanese without a true history and age statement. New brands are fine but not worth the costs. There are some "Cheap" bottles like toki that are fine for mixing but only yamazaki, nikka, hibiki, really in my book count as good Japanese whiskey. and only with the age statement.
We are Paying our respects to Daniel, Rex, Whiskey Vault and the Whisky Tribe! We really enjoyed this episode along with the rest of your content. We just wanted to say that here and now, and we hope that you see this comment. This episode is really enjoyable with all the Japanese Whisky coverage and Memes. Much Love to you all!
The cuts with the Alien were great 🤣
Yo I was going to like your comment but it’s at 69 and I like it so I’m just replying instead….
If anyone wants to know, the video is 'Howard the Alien'
Harmony is really good whiskey, also editor is on point.
Harmony =there is olso 'harmony master selected' match good by far
@@09TMAX That one's travel retail exclusive.
I also love harmony. I wanna try all the kinds.
Fun fact: The Hibiki 30 bottle is special. Hibiki bottles across the whole range except the 30 have 24 facets, representing the traditional 24 seasons in Japanese culture. The 30, for obvious reasons, has 30 facets.
Found 4 bottles of harmony at my local Walmart liquor store on clearance for $5 a bottle. One of the best days of my life
I live in Japan (southern part of Kyushu). The big electronics box store a 15-minute walk away from me has a liquor department (intended to trap Chinese tourists that don't come here anymore because of Covid). Pretty much every whiskey reviewed here is available on the shelves there. And it's all expensive. They're all probably twice the price of what you'd pay in Austin. And just about every bottle is 40% ABV or under (maybe 35% or 37%), and many in half-sized bottles. Right now, I'm drinking Bushmill's The Original, 700 ml, 40% - $20 USD. A much better deal.
I bought Nikka from the Barrel for like $30 in Family Mart in Chiba couple years ago. Pretty sure in supermarkets whiskey is even cheaper.
My local regular supermarkets and most online stores sell whiskey 50-100% more expensive than a few dedicated liquor stores. So perhaps you just need to find the right liquor department.
Dude same, I live in Aomori-ken, I see people able to buy Hibiki and Yamazaki cheaper in the US than here in Japan
@@blake4465 The irony is that many bourbons get shipped off to Japan in large quantities, leaving the domestic supply so small that it becomes heavily allocated and sought after with crazy gouging on the secondary market because of the rarity in the US.
@@smashexentertainment676 Nikka from the Barrel is so comically expensive now. Was my cheap go-to while I was there, $25 / bottle, a couple months before it hit WA's list. Wish I had brought some home but I used the two bottle allotment on "half price" Yoichi. My friend otoh was smart and brought back 10 bottles of the Barrel and snuck through customs lol.
@@revums I get it for roughly 30 eur here in Scandinavia. Fair price in my opinion. In my country the price varies from 30 to 55 eur, so you just need to find the right store.
Thank you for making this an episode. I’ve always been interested in Japanese whiskey but I’ve been scared to accidentally buy something fake. This was very informative!
I was actually given a bottle of Nikka 17 as a gift years ago and it’s sat on display now. The end of this vid has me properly excited to crack that bottle some day waaaaay down the line.
I was talking to my coworker recently and he mentioned how much he loved Japanese whiskey. And knowing this guy, I am 100% convinced that he just said that because it is "japanese" but i responded that you have to be careful and pay attention to where it actually comes from because not many Japanese whiskeys are actually japanese. He didn't believe me and I had to actually explain to him in great detail about international existing liquor laws work. Glad to hear that they are changing it so you know what you are getting.
その通りです！
Some clarifications:
1) 3:50 Nikka didn't have any coffey stills until they opened their Miyagikyo distillery in 1967.
Speaking of Nikka, my favourite part about Nikka is the first masters did internships in Scotland. They wrote letters asking if they could go over and learn, and the Scots were delighted to show them how it all worked. I e-mailed them a couple of years ago asking if Nikka allowed people without permanent residency to do the same and they said no. 😒
2) Rice alcohol aged in barrels IS considered whisky in Japan. I believe the distinction is that they cannot call it whisky if they use koji mold.
3) You didn't talk about the most important part about this whole thing, which is WHY a lot of distilleries are sourcing from around the world. There was a massive slump in demand for Japanese whisky from the 1980s. So much so that a lot of distilleries simply went out of business. Ichiro's Malt is a perfect example of this. Their most recent single malt release was called On The Way because they're still aging their good stuff. The worldwide blends are just a necessary evil for them to make enough money to stay in business long enough to sell their nice single malts when they're ready. I just wish they were all honest and up front about it.
You're almost right about point 3, but taking Chichibu as an example wasn't really the best choice. Chichibu is one of the earliest (2008) post-boom distilleries (I went there to visit in 2013) and their 'on the way' releases are made from 2013 going forward. For about a decade Ichiro Akuto is already releasing properly aged single malts from his distillery like 'the peated', 'chibidaru' and 'the floor malted' (although most of his releases are NAS / 3 years). His longest stated aged and released whiskies with Chichibu spirit are ~10 years old. He did do some world whisky releases but those were always properly stated and never used the Chichibu label. Most of the money to fund his distillery comes from releasing old stock and blends from his fathers Hakushu distillery and Karuizawa.
Two early 'restarts' (after Japanese Whisky gained world popularity) that produce quality whisky are Mars distilleries and White Oak Eigashima. They also both bottle and sell properly aged single malts for a decade now. Mars had their own old stock to sell off and financed their revival with that, Eigashima was primarilly producing Sake and other liquors so they 'just' started to increase their whisky production off-season. With the distillers that survived the '80s and kept producing, like Nikka, Suntory and Fuji Gotemba, there is quite a collection of authentic Japanese whisky avalable, however most aged releases were sold out in the whisky boom period in the early 2000s. That's why it's hard to find new over-aged Japanese Whisky... All the young stuff sells too well as NAS releases so there is little left to age further, unless you let a passionate distiller/blender take the lead instead of a marketing department.
Now for many of the other (new) distilleries like Nagahama and Shinobu, yes, they finance their startup period mostly with world whisky releases. But they are in an earlier state of development than the above given examples and they really had to start from scratch.
In Nikka's defense, Scottish immigration/residency policies in the 1920s are probably extremely different from Japanese immigration/residency policies in the 2020s and Japanese immigration law is not something Nikka can control. Shochu labeled as rice whisky is a complicated topic because it all boils down to Japanese alcohol laws which are, as laws always are, kind of screwed up and not primarily intended to ensure a good experience for product consumers in the modern market. The law is super relaxed about allowing rebadged imports to be bottled and sold as Japanese whisky because Japanese whisky law is a tax definition more than anything else.
I love the way the do ads so much that during this I went into the other room for a minute came back in and saw the ending of the ad and literally rewound it to see what it was. I’ve never done that before for an ad
Frrrr love these guys ad reads
I'm just glad they start creating rules to be called Japanese whiskey, I usually stick to Suntory and Nikka, I agree prices are ridiculous and just because of hype there's a lot of not so good Japanese whiskey. I don't think it's a lot to ask as a consumer to clearly State on a bottle where is juice coming from and how old it is, but then again if it tastes good just drink it. Cheers to all MB!!!
2:30 I think this s*** just kicked in.
This is an EXCELLENT "in a nut shell" synopsis of the history of Japanese whisky.
Sorry: Daniel, you mention that grain spirits aren't allowed to be of amber colour here in Japan since it would be 'confused with whisky'. That's not necessarily true. Okinawan shochu called 'awamori' has an older version called 'koshu' which litteraly means 'old alcohol' and it can be a light amber in colour. But, it isn't considered a whisk(e)y, which is correct.
The army of glasses gathering in front of Rex is hilariously frightening.
And people complain he’s lost his mooch. Haha
Shame Japanese Whisky is so heavily overpriced in Australia. Luckily I have a Whisky Bar in town that stocks anything worth while and with great knowledge so I do get to atleast taste them. Anyway.... cheerzumagniffsentbazterdz!!!
Same thing in South Africa, its very expensive
Not only that whiskey such as makers mark are watered down to 40%
I got a couple of nice bottles from Japan 2 years ago for about $40 and they are selling for $140 here in Dan Murphy’s .
This is a great episode... well done, more nerd-like episodes please.
Still riding high off my comment being read on the live stream yesterday
I was hopeing you guys were going to tear Kurayoshi a new one and talk about how they one an award for “Best Japanese Whisky” while being all sourced 😡😡😡…😂😉
And the only thing that sucks about those new JSMA standards (we discussed it a lot in my local group here in Okinawa JP) is that you have to be apart of the JSMA for it to apply to you. And even then…they have no way to enforce those rules as of yet to its own memebers.
It is a step in the right direction and hopefully here soon we get some huge legal backing and rules. Although the Shochu makers have a heavy influence over the tax laws here so who knows 🤷🏽 same as to why that “Too dark color to be Shochu” rule hasn’t changed.
Cheers fellas and awesome video!
It's expected that shame will bring producers in line with the JSLMA industry rules. And hopefully the JSLMA rules will be used as the basis for a change in law, since the Japanese whisky laws right now are almost entirely just a tax definition instead of a proper product category definition. As long as it's categorized accurately so the government can get their cut, they don't care what's in the bottle.
I would think that Beam-Suntory and Asahi (who own Nikka) could swing some pretty big clubs to pressure the govt into it, and by clubs I mean lobbying money.
@@elixwhitetail one can hope!!
the Uzi edits are phenomenal.. top notch give Kevin a raise!
I honestly didn't think people would know what that was 🤣
@@kevinalpizar2335 I honestly never thought I'd hear an Uzi song in a WT video... touche 👀.. keep up the great work, Kevin.. more rap please 😉
I’m an Australian living in Japan, nice to have these (and many other) whiskies available at a decent price.
We do have good variety but I wouldn't say they're a "decent price".
@@TimSlee1 compared to Australia they are definitely a decent price
@@Sweat404 Oh, my bad. I misread your comment. But yeah, Japanese whisky's a very expensive here in Aus.
The story on Fukano is even more interesting that you make it out to be.
In Japan, they have something similar to Whiskey made with rice. It's called Awamori. It's traditionally 30-60 proof. Originally it was made in Okinawa for well over a thousand years, and during WWII all of it was destroyed as well as the old stocks. It's made with malted rice ( as well as other added components - the laws are less strict ) and is essentially whiskey. Aged versions of it typically mature to drinkable quality at about 20 years, so it's a lengthy investment and it's a bit pricey.
Eventually they rebuilt the industry, and started putting out good quality product in the late 70s, but the Japanese government forbids anyone to export it outside of Japan. Any that you see in the U.S. is fake or is a single bottle brought over by a tourist. This, of course, really upsets the companies there who want to cash in on the whole "Whiskey" hype, especially as they believe that their rice whiskey is unique and superior.
Fukano found a way around this and got batches of it into the U.S. by claiming that it's old Shochu - *ahem* I mean "Whiskey". Again, more lies and waiving of hands. :) But it is lovely stuff.
私は沖縄に住んでいたのですが、恐らく、輸出し易い国と難しい国があります。アメリカは免許のある法人を挟まないと難しいですね。
I used to live in Okinawa and probably there are some countries that are easy to export to and some countries that are difficult. The USA is difficult unless you go through a licensed corporation.
Damn it now I wanna try it 😔
I have a bottle of Nikka from the Barrel. It's one of my favorites I have in stock. It basically taste like Glenlivet 12, but with a higher proof and a little sweeter.
Love your content. Any chance we can get a video about Indian whisk(e)y? I had one the other day and realized I know almost nothing about Indian whisk(e)y.
It sucks.
They have an episode on the whiskey vault channel all about Indian whiskey.
@@skippityblippity8656 that’s like saying all Irish whiskey sucks. Just because you have had a bad one, doesn’t mean the whole countries whiskey is poor.
Indian whisky is a complicated topic because the actual standards for what can qualify as "whisky" in India are very loose and you can basically make something that's almost entirely neutral grain spirits and call it whisky. However, there are distilleries in India that are making quality, world-competitive whiskies like Amrut.
@@Christopher_Wheeler
It is though
I like it when Rex is sober and we get some education from Daniel ❤
whoa! you cant diss on Ichiro's white label. They even include a map on the back label showing which countries they source from. and it tastes loads better than Suntory Ao. unfortunately the Ichiro's sells for a premium in the states whereas its only $35 here in Japan
I love this in depth breakdown episodes. I concure with Daniel. Thanks for this nerdy episode. Please make more of these😄
Now that Japan has changed whiskey laws- I’m excited for the future.
Just a note, the actual _law_ hasn't changed in Japan. The Japan Spirits & Liqueur Makers Association implemented new regulations to apply to their industry members, and there is no penalty mechanism for enforcement. It's expected that shame will force people into line, though. Ideally, these industry regs will form the basis of a change in Japanese law in the somewhat-near future.
Editing on point.
"..nikka has eliminated all their age statement lines" ... says everything you need to know about japanese whisky.
Context is very important. Both Nikka and Suntory took big scissors to their age statement lines because Japan is just starting to claw its way out of the Japanese whisky supply crisis they created for themselves when white spirits became popular 20-30 years ago and production of whisky dropped to meet the market's new hotspots. Japanese whisky then had a major revival while this massive hole in aged casks slowly moved to the forefront. Both Nikka and Suntory have been investing huge amounts of cash and manpower into distilling their way out of this hole, with double shifts to lay down more casks. We're still about 5-10 years away from them digging themselves free.
Due to Whiskey Vault I was fortunate enough to snag a few Japanese bottles early on, while I know some of them are "Japanese whisky" that doesn't make them less enjoyable. Hibiki Harmony & Nikka from the Barrel are two bottles that I've bought due to being a member of The Tribe over the years. I've yet to have any of the other types of Japanese whiskey since the rules are being better mitigated... but I hope to get a few more bottles into my collection someday. I also must say the random stuff in the B rolls and the dancing guy in the back is hilarious. 🖖😎🥃
You're a tool if you drink "Japanese" Whisky
GREAT video and very informative. I’m personally a fan of Suntory products but have been hesitant to try other Japanese whiskey. Good knowledge
As it happens I'm drinking some Yamazaki 12 yr right now and it's beautiful.
A better thing to say would be i hope the law makers get out of the way. The standards could be a private standard, thus allowing weirdness that doesn't get stopped by laws, but can be labelled more properly
Big fan of the Nikka Yoichi, as a NAS it still holds a nice balance between smoke and fruitful flavours.
I've run into these problems where I live. I almost bought shinobu. Because I'm really into scotch but I like to branch out. and I saw on the fine print. I'm glad I looked before buying. The artwork is very misleading. It's probably not a bad product, just be honest with your customers.
That's my concern with the whole thing. What's in the bottle is probably fine, but it's being marketed, labeled, and priced dishonestly. The local liquor stores around me have multiple "fake" Japanese whiskies like Shinobu and I'd probably enjoy at least half of them but I won't buy them because they're marked up to hell with Japanese whisky hype tax. I can get equal-tier Scotch for cheaper, and since I'm lucky enough to live a few hours from the distillery I can get a quality Shelter Point wine cask-finished single malt for the same price instead.
Good stuff. You should also mention that Suntory owns Jim Beam, which owns many distilleries, which makes them one of the largest whiskey producer in the world. Also, there are many up and coming distilleries in Japan, and most of them start out selling blends sourced from elsewhere while their own whiskies age. Ichiro’s as well, but he uses whisky he rescued from his father’s distillery which closed down years ago. Ichiro’s finally have 10 years for sale which is very good. The new self imposed regulation is great, the only problem is they are so damn expensive!!!
In the early 80s, I lived on a remote beach in the rainforest country of Far North Queensland, Australia. The beach itself was part of a long bay with a bordering reef and it was not too far from the main shipping channel for cargo ships coming from Asia to Australian ports in the south. Anyway, the most common alcoholic beverage bottle that washed up on the shore was empty Suntory Whisk(e)y bottles of various sizes. In those days, Suntory bottles had the name moulded onto the glass at the base of the bottle.
3:36 yeah.... im not going to pronounce that word
That gameshow seems to be Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!
It gave us such classics as "no laugh or you get beat with a stick" and "24 hour tag".
Lived and worked in Japan and have been back many times. Just returned from Tokyo. Japanese whisky has a way to go before it recovers. Best thing I had was Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The Peated 2018 release but good luck finding it outside Japan. Also, I figured out where all of the Springbank disappeared to. 😎
how come no one is talking about the suspicious cut from 2:46 to 2:52?
you can see the guy in the back throughout the shots after, until 3:10, i think
Great episode. I learned a lot about all kinds of whiskey from watching this one. Time for more Japanese Whiskey reviews?
Obviously he's talking about Lil Nas X
7:07
Hey, guys. Love your channel. Been watching it for several years, now. I've kinda fallen out of the whiskey hobby, mainly because I couldn't justify the amount of money I was spending on it. lol. I still like watching your channel, though, because I still like learning more about it.
I have a request. When you back reference another episode, can you put the link to that episode in the video notes? I'm really curious where that sulfer/match video you referenced is going.
Asian Canadian here, I found it's much cheaper to get actual Japanese whiskey in airports of any major Asian cities than in NA, for example, Hibiki Master selected. Santory is really a pillar in Japanese whiskey, but recently they have been selling questionable lines just to cash in on the Hibiki/Yamazaki fame. Nikka is one of the brands that I really keep to myself, especially the miyagikyo. Fun fact, Nikka also makes vodka and gin from the Coffey still, I think it's available in Montreal? I haven't seen them anywhere else in NA yet.
Hibiki Master Select is a travel retail exclusive so that's why you find it in airports and not in most liquor stores. Also, what do you mean by Suntory selling "questionable lines"? All of their current expressions, according to them, comply with the new industry rules. Nikka, on the other hand, has been making use of the fact that they own Ben Nevis and almost every single one of their whiskies does not actually count as Japanese whisky because they've been pinching Ben Nevis casks for themselves, with the Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts, Taketsuru pure malt, and Nikka Coffey Grain being the exceptions. And don't get me wrong, I'm a Nikka fan.
A few of us have been saying this for a while.
Nikka from the Barrel or what I prefer to call Ben Nevis with other stuff added to it.
This is one of the absolute best episodes yet. Anyone else envisioning the impact it could have if Rex and Daniel could get an audience in front of a panel of legislators. I'm imagining a whiskey tasting inside of a capital dome. :-)
Thank you for this video. I just had this conversation with a friend who dropped over 1000 dollars on sourced "Japanese" whiskies... He sounded so excited at first before I started talking to him...
You might want to make sure that you're clear to your friend that you're talking about the labeling and marketing of the bottles he bought and whether they're being transparent and honest about the origin of the whisky. What is in the bottle might taste fine, it's just not necessarily made where he thought it was. A friend of mine went to Japan months before the pandemic kicked off and he found a 12-year-old bottle of something that was totally not "real" Japanese whisky... but it still tasted pretty good according to him (and he's had Hibiki before).
@@elixwhitetail Absolutely. We went through every bottle.
@@davidkwak1020 I hope you both enjoyed the experience and found at least a handful of bottles to like! Cheers, you MB
@@elixwhitetail Absolutely! Thank you for the kind words! Cheers to you too you Absolute MB!
Good episode. Briana would have made it a great episode. Where is Briana?
That Always Sunny clip... well done 😂
Love the history!
Daniel, "This is Nikka 17 years." Me, gasping.
To all the tribe, if you can get your hands on either Yoichi Single Malt or Miyagikyo Single Malt, even without age statement they are worth the extra $. Nikka will rebuild it's stocks, I have no doubt, and return to age statements, some day, probably when my kids are old enough to drink with me :-)
I love my bottle of Harmony
I have a very small tolerance to alcohol, but that stuff is smooth as silk
Try Evan Williams Single Barrel.
Love the nerdy episodes!
I had some Yamazaki 18 a few years back, would you say it tastes similar to the distillers reserve?
Good morning MB's! Cheers!
I love that you too wear black all year. I only wear black tee shirts too… but I live in Northern NY and can wave at Canada. If I lived in TX I’d probably never even wear cotton shirts. God bless you guys.
Technically, it should be a phosphoric note when thinking of a match, but you probably don't taste/smell a difference. Great video, but I'm not sure if I'll go out of my way to get Japanese whiskey in Central NY. I haven't seen it in any local liquor stores.
Do the new proposed standards include distillation to no higher than 82.5% and casking at no higher than 62.5%? Labeling restrictions if neutral grain spirits are introduced, and must they be introduced into the barrels and aged 3 years etc ... ? What about labeling 'single' and 'malt' etc ... ?
The still proof is limited to 95%, there is zero mention of neutral grain spirits, _malted grain_ must ALWAYS be used but other (unmalted) grains may be used with it, and it must be aged in Japan in wooden casks no larger than 700L for a minimum of three years. The regulations make no changes to the terms single or malt, and Japan is unique in that it maintains use of the term "pure malt" to describe a blend of malt whiskies while that term is banned in Scotland. Saccharification, fermentation, distillation, aging, and bottling must all take place in Japan, and all water used in production must be extracted in Japan.
"....so I can mooch your collection for research." I'm using that one for sure. Essential viewing here. Cheers.
Thank you so much, great apisod What about Yamazaki?
Hibiki Harmony is my favorite whiskey. Too bad it's gotten so expensive and a little hard to find.
Akashi, aka White Oak Eigashima, is a fantastic distillery and sake brewery for that matter. They technically had the first whiskey distilling license in Japan, circa 1919, but didn't use it until the 1960s, Suntory was the first to distill whiskey in the country
One side note, not all shochu is made from rice. They can also be made from either sweet potato or barley. Barley shochu has been my favorite of the three.
Regrets not getting a few bottles back when prices weren't astronomical on my trips to Japan...
I had a few years when I only bought Japanese whisky but basically i only bought from Suntory and Nikka but then i realized how much they cost so i went back to Scotch mostly Islay now
Gotta get some legal standards for Texas soon. And something for the Pacific Northwest, as well. We are already seeing stuff that has *no* relation to either Washington or Oregon on shelves and they are *all* disappointing. How you do that with _two_ states, I don't know but ...
It seems like Texas lawmakers would be super into protecting the state's brand. What's the holdup?
That said, most people, especially in Texas WILL read the label and not touch something made elsewhere that claims to be made in their great state. So they have a little more breathing room to get things hammered down. But not a lot.
And all of the disappointing stuff is re-blended cheaper blends from Indiana/MGP - throw a story and label on it, add 3-6 months of aging in casks somewhere so you can claim it's "aged", and presto - your own "distillery". It tastes like $20 whiskey because it is $20 whiskey once you get past the lies and marketing.
And, yes, where I live, we have a company doing that. Smoke Wagon. It's MGP with some stuff done to it. They are located in Nevada, but it's just bottled here. I found it to be incredibly "meh" compared to the actual distillery nearby, Las Vegas Distillery. The water and climate make a difference in the process and it tastes quite different, IMO. LVD is interesting in that it has a story not too different than the guys here at Crowded Barrel. They put out their first Bourbon I think 5 or 6 years ago.
So we are in the same boat as many states now trying to get regulations hammered down so that what is in the bottle is from the state it was made in.
Enjoying a 12yr Hibiki purchased 5 years ago. Still have 3/4 bottle left. May not last much longer though. LOL.
Harbinger, not bragging just saying I had to travel from Rochester NY to NJ to get it, and I will not confirm nor deny the possibility of 3.25 Bottles worth sitting at home. It is so good.
Hibiki Harmony is so good!
Nikka Coffee grain is also good, not as good as Harmony but excellent. Ironically I unintentionally bought these in this order too.
I've always picked up a mild tobacco taste from Hibiki.
Loved the Whiskey "Nerd" episode. Would like to see a few more like this.
Harmony is the only whiskey my wife will drink…so glad you guys turned us on to it so so many years ago…thanks again
I miss the old song at the end.
Love the cinematics! Keep it up!
I bought that Taketsuru 17 here in Japan some years back for about $60 US. It was really good. I’m kicking myself for not buying cases of it!
I'm kicking myself for not discovering and understanding whisky 15-20 years ago. The entire collective alcohol marketing industry failed to explain to me EVEN SLIGHTLY why people would drink whisky other than spending a lot of money to get smashed when they could just buy vodka for much cheaper. It took these two clowns (
Fukano means "impossible" or "can't or shouldn't happen" in Japanese.
6:10 Ducks go in Cups!
I love Japan and my wife and I love visiting Japan (even been to two distilleries), but I never found Japanese whisk(e)y to be worth the price. HOWEVER, I like getting Suntory Toki JUST for High Balls. That flavor profile is very similar (at least to my memory) to the canned Suntory High Balls you can get at Japanese convivence stores. So the past year or so, when I am feeling serious Fernweh - I mix that stuff up with some plain soda/seltzer water and wedge of lemon and I get to feel like I am traveling. Even drink it with some pickles, rice crackers, edamame or other Japanese-like snacks to feel like I am in some Izakaya (minus the 300 yen cover charge).
Honestly, its something i will miss. I currently live in Japan and love those highballs. Wish i had ine in the fridge now. Also, i just recently found out amazon in Japan ships whisky!
tnx for teaching me a cool word :3
Rule of thumb most affordable Japanese whisky is likely one or both of - not very good/not actually Japanese.
Then some of the pricier stuff doesn’t necessarily stack up against alternative Scotch or other whisky at similar price points.
If they have a mailing address or office in the state from which it is sourced can they avoid the inclusion of the source on the label?
Hey guys consider releasing a namesake whisky from your distillery in memory of greatest Texan of all time and prtotype for all magnificent bastards... BIll Hicks.
Living in Japan I watched this to try and figure out what was a good option over here, and I feel like this was a very different video than I was looking for, but still very interesting.
Loved the Taketsuru 12 and 17. Still have a few bottles. They deffinitely used Ben Nevis in this line. They have "apparently" stopped due to pressure, but hard to find the facts on this.
Suntory also makes Vodka (Haku) distilled from rice. I'd be really curious as to the differences between Haku and Shochu distilled from rice.
You guys should try Yama by bainbridge mizunara cask. I believe the only American Japanese whiskey, as bainbridge won the mizunara wood in an auction and made barrels out of it! Smells like banana bread! Love it and love the Channel
Oh yes! About time this was addressed
Harmony is ok. But it is nowhere near worth the price!
So it's like German cars with parts soursed from all over the Europe. Well, at least unlike those Japanese Whisky isn't bottled in Poland/Hungary/etc
Great episode guys. Thanks
The Canadian whisky with a state flag is in every state. Not just Texas.
1:18 I laughed to hard at this
I said that Nikka Coffee Grain reminded me of Forty Creek and people said I was crazy...
I had the Japanese whiskey that they sent to space and back when I was in London 7 years ago. SUNTORY DISTILLERY.
Buy Nikka Whisky. It’s much better than Suntory Yamazaki. Try the Coffey Grain and Yoichi. They are still under the radar and are authentic Japanese whisky.
Obviously Nikka have some Scottish influence as they own Ben Nevis distillery and have been using a fair bit of the 2 million litre output. .
They don't use Ben Nevis distillate in their single malts, nor in the Coffey Grain that was tasted in this video, and there's still a Scottish influence in those because of the historical connections between Nikka and Scotch. They use Ben Nevis spirit in almost EVERY OTHER expression in their current product lineup, but Nikka aims for Scotch-like character as their profile.
I have tasted the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 that Jim Murray praised so highly... and found it very disappointing (not a great difference from Glenfarclas 12?). The closest I've had to what I believe Masataka Taketsuru wanted to make all along was a 20-year-old single cask Yoichi (but the best Japanese whisky I own is from the closed Hanyu distillery).
WHISKY!! Good morning everyone
I have purchased like 4 or 5 bottles because of your videos. I think I have spent like $600.00 on them.
Great video guys. Thanks.
I stopped by anything Japanese without a true history and age statement. New brands are fine but not worth the costs. There are some "Cheap" bottles like toki that are fine for mixing but only yamazaki, nikka, hibiki, really in my book count as good Japanese whiskey. and only with the age statement.
Would love if yall did a deep dive on Canadian whisky