5 Great Japanese Whiskies you've (probably) never heard of!!
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- With the best Hibiki and Nikka whiskies in short supply these days (and prices rapidly rising), here's a look at some other great Japanese Whiskies.
Joining us is James Rattray from the Japanese Quality Whisky Society as we take a look at, get our noses into and taste some not so well known Japanese Whiskies.
Here we are trying:
1: Eigashima - Akashi Limited Edition
2: Yamazakura - Pure Malt
3: Kirin - Fuji-Sanroku
4: Mars - 3&7
5: Togouchi - Japanese Blended Whisky
You can visit the Japanese Quality Whisky Society for more about these whiskies here - japanesequalitywhisky.com/
To find out more about the origins of Japanese Whisky and why it's so popular these days check out our last video "Why is Japanese Whisky so hot right now?"
• Why is Japanese Whisky... 
Хобби
Really fun to watch. Thank you!
I have the Togouchi . Very nice
Awesome video! Will be looking to try all of them 🤣
Like the style. Friendly and approachable. Down to earth. Not snooty like the usual whiskey experts....
As a huge Japanese whiskey fan I probably heard of all of them, but since availability is very limited, therefore trying each is just a dream.
I LOVE Fuji Sanroku. I used to be able to get it in Japan for about 15USD at the grocery store. Haven’t been able to find it in the US though.
Great video,very informative I will try Suntory as my first Japanese Whisky soon.
One thing I would say cos I see this every now and then...when you poor any alcohol it is quite important in my opinion to do it so you don't lose a single drop otherwise just may look like someone drunk pooring a drink or someone who don't care. It may be only me but I belive it just take some practicing and in some coultures small details matters so its not only the drink but, how its served, atmosphere,who you can share it with etc
Great video as I said, well done guys.
Fuji Sanroku 50° is one of the best values in whiskey *if* you are in Japan. Sadly, it's marked up several times in overseas markets. I visited Kirin's Gotemba distillery had the pleasure of also sampling their 18 and 25 year olds which are superb and this is reflected in the price. Kirin is responsible for the revitalisation of Four Roses so it was interesting watching the bottling line run for Four Roses.
Togouchi is an interesting blender with some reasonably priced offerings as well as older bottlings. I've had their NAS which is a blend of Scottish single malts and Canadian grain whiskies. There are 40° and 43° versions, the latter of which seems to be bound for the French market since the label is written in French and Japanese. Interesting note, their whiskey is aged in an old railway tunnel. Inexpensive in Japan.
Another attainable brand is Kaiyo. They are an independent bottler (sourcing Japanese new make) who age their core offerings exclusively in Mizunara oak and also partially age at sea (similar to Jefferson's in the USA). Between 8 and 9 years old at this point. One of the more interesting brands and still evolving.
Thank you for this, great info! Sounds like you had a great time visiting the distilleries, I’d love to get to Japan at some point. I haven’t seen Kaiyo around here, I’ll have to keep an eye out. Definitely agree with you on all the others, and also liked Shinobu for the mizunara influence.
@@BehindtheBar I really enjoyed your video. Lots of distilleries and breweries (both beer and sake) to visit throughout Japan. Maturing wine industry, too. You will definitely enjoy yourself. Great food to pair with anything you choose to drink. Just plan ahead to confirm facility schedules and make reservations.
Love this video! Great look at something different. Also what kind of glassware are you using to taste with, they’re beautiful!
You can also tell how knowledgeable she is in her videos, learning so much from these keep killing it!⚡️
Thank you so much for the lovely comments pal, so glad you’re finding them useful 😊. I’m not actually 100% sure on those specific glasses cause we shoot at our sister restaurant so I didn’t buy them, but I’d imagine just the local hospitality supplier (chefs hat if you’re in Melbourne) 😊
Behind the Bar Thank you so much! I’ll have to check them out 😊
I shared the Fuji San-Roku with several Japanese Whiskey lovers. It tasted like cask strength, and no diluting or mixing it could save it from tasting good in our opinion.
I love your videos. So informative. Great content.
I love japanese whiskey's but the demand has pushed the price beyond what I think comparable whiskies can also be bought at. For that reason, I have leaned towards Irish.
Totally fair pal, they’re definitely getting up there even for less special ones!
Looking forward to searching a few of these out! Hibiki is totally gone in my area now and that Kirin piques my interest at that 50%! I prefer my Scotches and bourbons at a bit higher proof, so that could be a good go to when my current bottle of Hibiki Harmony runs out. Another great video!
Hope you manage to find some pal!
I brought a bottle of the Kirin 50 back with me from when I lived in Tokyo. It's a really good whisky. I haven't bought any Japanese since then because Scotch is consistently better for the same price level, but I do miss the Japanese stuff (I was lucky enough to be getting lots of free drams when I was out there!)
Big fan of japanese whiskey and I just saw togouchi for the first time at total wine.
So now I know! ... I have checked which ones are available here in Toronto and the pickings are slim.... must be the Covid conditions. However, with the local LCBO, I have marked your favourite one as my favourite as well, based the expressions on both your faces, and comments of course... while not in stock right now, when it is in stock, its mine. :) Thanks very much and I am enjoying your channel and have passed it along to my friends and family who partake.
Fingers crossed it doesn’t take long for you!
I think she's starting to feel it by that last one 😅
Me? Never... 😇 haha
@@BehindtheBar don't believe you 😁
I've never seen a Japanese whisky in person here where I live 😐 but I know one day it will come my way ☺
Or you could just buy it online
Good video
It's always fun to see Nicole Kidman mixing cocktails.........sorry, couldn't resist. :)
Didn't know japanese whiskey even existed, very informative, I see you really love and enjoying what you do, so cool, the only Irish whiskey I have is Jameson's, very good, that's something I need to work on
Thank you guys! Now, I want to taste Japanese Whisky!
From Mars Shinshu in the same range of price, I would recommend the so-called Twin Alps. I would say that expression is slightly more interesting than this 3&7 which I find a bit too astringent on the palate. On a superior tier, I would put the Komagatake series, which use to be spot-on. Good review, thanks for sharing!
I haven’t had the pleasure of trying any of them, I’ll have to keep an eye out!
+ 1
こんにちは☺️
3&7のウイスキーは私の住んでいる長野県のウイスキーだから取り上げてくれてうれしいです😃✨
英語が出来なくてごめんなさい😅
Ahh, thank goodness for Google translate! Nice to hear from you, the 3&7 was delicious, and sorry I can't speak Japanese!
英語できないの草
頭わるわる〜
Bottom end, drinkable whisky in Japan at the moment (Nov 2020) is about $8. Am drinking Koshu, Pure Malt (40%), Nirasaki Distillery at $15.85. Very gentle, quaffable. (Actually, it was wrongly priced at Yen 785 and I pointed it out. They gave it to me at that price thanked me and apologised. Very sporting)
I've never been a fan of the Japanese whiskeys, although I've not had a large variety of them.
I generally like a very big, flavorful whisky, and I haven't found a Japanese variety that hits my palate quite right.
I prefer the heavier, smokier scotches (Laphroaig, Oban, Talisker, Ardbeg), and the smokier, less sweet bourbons (in general), so if there's a Japanese whiskey you'd recommend, I'd be very interested in trying it.
Yoichi Single Malt from Nikka has a hint of peat and slight saltiness to it- certainly nothing like the ones you listed but probably the best to bridge the gap!
Interesting
Thank you!
My two hangups with Japanese whiskey: 1. The price has pushed it into the 'poor value' category. 2. They can bring Scotch in, bottle it, or blend it, and call it Japanese. Too bad. It's a unique style. Great video!
We do have a little chat about that in the other Japanese whisky video- there’s obviously a shortage of Japanese whisky which (as you rightly say) makes it prohibitively expensive, so I’m not against blending with Scotch if it still makes a delicious whisky and brings the price down. They just have to be up front about it so you know what you’re buying! Definitely not happy when people bottle Scotch in Japan or blend it in, don’t say so on the bottle and still try to charge Japanese whisky prices...
@@BehindtheBar Agreed! As long as the consumer knows what they are buying, it's all good.
@@ianholmes6078 That's the point & please see my comments above), it doesn't state it on the label all the time, needing serious searches, so I am for a quick Japanese whisky regulations change, but also for the Irish ones because I'm fed up with 40+ brands sourcing from the same 4 distilleries & pretending to bring new stuff to people...too confusing imho...
About your initial post, I recommend whiskies that we can be sure there are genuine (if you trust me enough to tell so, I've been tasting Japanese whiskies for around 16 years, and Scotch for more than 20, writing on my website for a long time to & even before on whisky forums/blogs, way before I launched my youtube channel), such as Yoichi single malt (a n.a.s. I know, but faithful to the old 10/12 yo + style) & Miyagikyo single malt, also (but you need more money) Chichibu or Mars or White Oak (but when stated it is a single malt). Hope it helps...Cheers !
@A. P. Heffel Good to know & Amen to that !
5 more!
Stay tuned 😉
Do you have any videos on good scotch and maybe some history?
Just the one on Scotch so far but definitely more to come, and plenty on American:
ruclips.net/p/PLq4QDlrfTBk3yjl_yaLwFzpsoLz1H7yeP
A full bottle of Tagouchi is impossible to pour without spilling.
😂 true!
Togouchi is technically not a Japanese whisky. The whisky is imported. Matured and bottled in Japan.
Yeah we tried to be very up front about the fact that most of these are world blends/pure malts 😊
What's name of that glass?
I usually call them a snifter...
You might want to have a floating mic or hide one in front of a bottle as the sound quality is muffled. Also as you're sizing up the pour and sipping you could do a close-up for the color aspect of each to appreciate the fluid character...otherwise nice learning piece. thx
Off topic, I apologise, but may we learn the Piña Colada, with tips on ingredient selection please. TIA.
I’ll add it to the list!
You don't have to apologise, we are fans, any comments about bars and booze, she really does appreciate them
I am cheering from Japan.
The other day, I drank Tasmanian whiskey and was delicious and dying.
Also introduce Australian whiskey.
Aw cool! Which Tassie whisky did you try? I’m definitely doing a show in Australian whisky at some point!
@@BehindtheBar
On November 16, 2019, I tasted "Old Kempton Cask Strength" at the Tokyo Whiskey Festival. I felt that all the whiskeys around the world were packed. The best of the best. I am sure of your success.
Nice! I really like their Tokay cask if you ever see it 😊. Thank you, it means a lot!
I was lucky enough to do the Whisky tour when I was in Tassie a few years back. It was the year that Sullivan's Cove won the best single malt, so everyone was really excited about visiting them! A bottle of their cheapest was the most expensive whisky I've bought to date!
I wonder how many in the line up are true Japanese whisky?
Wow, I don't know how is he able to be so calm and talk properly when she is that close, looking straight into his eyes/soul. I bet those whisky's aromas pair pretty good with her smile. I'll definitely look up more of your videos. Mixology and spirits History is so intriguing.
Cause he treats women like human beings
@@whaddup5417 Mostly I'm a bit dork when talking to a woman that I consider (intellectually and physically) attractive
@@creatirv I bet you know a ton about stuff she doesn't mate
Japanese whiskey is one more reason to love japan more. . Japan is a good friend of India. . We love Toyota honda shinjo abe softcon. . A great country
Irish, American whiskey
Scotch, Japanese, Australian whisky
Not always! Scotch legally has to be spelt without the ‘e’, but the rest it’s up to each distillery. In Ireland both were used interchangeably until reasonably recently in their whisk(e)y making history and the ‘e’ was really just introduced to differentiate from Scottish whisky. But, there are some distilleries like Waterford who still use whisky. In the US, Makers Mark is a prominent example of a distillery that uses whisky instead of whiskey, and there are others, especially those that make a single malt as opposed to bourbon/rye. In Australia it’s the same thing - whisky is generally used for single malt distilleries, but someone like the Gospel who make rye whiskey use the ‘e’. So basically, doesn’t matter too much!
the first ones were punchy and the next ones become gradually mellow. coincidence? i think not.
Haha fair point!
I aspire to drink whisky neat like that and not gag lol
Please do a Scotch video!
Your wish is my command! Haha:
ruclips.net/video/L8ssufXvzHs/видео.html
Real Japanese whiskey is always expensive and the price will get twice higher, after release.
Hi Cara, sorry I"m gonna do the same criticism than for the previous video about Japanese whisky (except you state it at least for some of them that they are not 100 % Japanese whisky, I'm afraid some aren't even 50 but, ok let's more on), again some wrong infos there (won't detail, but for instance, Eigoshima/White Oak did start before Yamazaki but didn't produce whisky before them, for source, again please check it out on my website or at Dave Broom...one of the most important whisky writers & Japanese whisky expert). I haven't tried the Mars Shinshu "3+7" you have here but the "3+25" (which is great) & again Togouchi isn"t made of Japanese whisky at all ! Cheers...
Hello again Greg! Japanese whisky is such a contentious subject at the moment. I tend to rely much more on whether or not I enjoy it and than the technicalities because, as you say, the laws are so loose. Eigoshima has the first distillers license but didn’t start distilling until later, correct.
@@BehindtheBar Sure, Cara and I think people (aka "customers" too !) need to investigate a bit more, because of this lose regulations in this country....I hope it will change in the near future with these 8 + new distilleries coming in & who will be ready to release their whiskies probably within 5 years or so, the time also required I think to see NIKKA & SUNTORY Groups back into form & maybe back to some 8 or 10 yo core range releases of their 4 single malts (bare in mind I 've been lucky to try & buy whiskies from these distilleries back when people were starting to discover them (say between 2003 & 2010 here in France) so before the 2015/2016 old casks shortage & skyrocketing prices....
I also explain other reasons of this shortage in this topic if you wanna have a look some day (you might be surprised about some reasons, btw-sorry if most of the text is in French though...) : www.gregswhiskyguide.com/actualites/editorial-homepage/240-editorial-no-15.html
Have also a look here if you like (my general topic about the history of Japanese whiskies, it is a bit old & doesn't speak much about fake "Japanese" whiskies, but I talked about this in several live shows & shall do it in a special Japanese whiskies video coming on later on this year):
www.gregswhiskyguide.com/notes-de-degustation-par-pays/japon.html
Thanks Greg, I’ll dust off my French degree and have a read haha
@@BehindtheBar No problem, hope it'll not be too painful...It is possible some paragraphs could need undusting too but honestly with all I have to deal with at the moment I don't have the strength to work on it...I'd rather do a video or live show later on on Japanese whiskies...feel free to pop in the chat then, and, besides, I'll be happy to have you live some day to speak about whisky cocktails, for instance...
Only me or does she look a little like Henary Cavill to any one else too
Guarantee you no one in Japan has heard of them either, considering 90+% of whiskey produced (because who even knows if it was Really even made there) in Japan is sold pretty much exclusively to other markets (mainly Canada, US, Europe, UK, etc). Until Japan bothers to try and give a damn about bottling / manufacturing/ labeling legalities Anything not from one of the Major distilleries is automatically suspect.
Totally fair for some, but there are also some legitimate smaller distilleries coming through who do use world whisky in their blends to great effect e.g. Ichiro’s Malt & Grain. Timely comment though cause Japan just passed new laws this week making it much stricter!
No wonder foreigners are flocking to our liquor stores. (Not a xenophobic comment. Drink on）BTW Yamazakura is cherry (sakura) found in the woods. yama + sakura = yamazakura.
marry me pls ok it’s for um ur whisky dowry
a lot of dropping and wasting, when pouring....
2/5 aren't even Japanese whiskeys...
Marry me 😁 We'll drink whiskey all the time.
This is going to be my only semi-creepy comment... Oh my word, you are a beautiful Scottish goddess!
Anyone who doesn’t know about American Whiskey/Bourbon doesn’t really know whiskey.
Luckily we have plenty on that too:
ruclips.net/p/PLq4QDlrfTBk3IGjc3p_Cmi5X0marfZSwT