In a dynamic market driven by the recent opening of many distilleries in Japan, a mysterious new Japanese whisky has just appeared. It has been bottled for the Hakutsuru Sake House by a distillery in Hokkaido whose name is kept secret. We have investigated in order to try to clarify the origins of this single malt Tan Cho. A few weeks ago we had the surprise to discover this new whisky during the Whisky Live 2022 in Paris. Presented in the area dedicated to sakés, it was not easy to find it because all the Japanese whiskies were grouped in the same area. So we met the representative of Hakuts ..read more

Suntory has just announced on the sly the release of a peaty version of its single malt Hakushu, but beware there won't be enough for everyone ; you'll have to live in Japan and incidentally speak Japanese, but above all be lucky, very lucky... It will soon be eight years since Suntory bottled a peaty version of the single malt Hakushu, the last one dating from 2013. This announcement coincides with the resumption of the export of 12-year-old Hakushu and the arrival of the Hibiki Blossom Harmony 2021 and Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021 versions. Suntory did not unveil Hakushu Peated 2021 through ..read more

When we come to talk about whisky, what matters most is inside the bottle. But what if we gave as much importance to the flask itself? As Christmas approaches, discover our selection of some of the most beautiful bottles of Japanese whisky currently available on the market.  A good bottle of whisky is always a safe bet when it comes to find the right gift idea for the most epicureans, gourmets and curious among us. However a good whisky is sometime not enough for a perfect gift: it also has to be a beautiful object to make a strike. Even if "beautiful" is, by definition, highly subje ..read more

At the beginning of March, we propose you to focus on the Mars Whisky brand and its two distilleries Shinshu and Tsunuki owned by the Hombo Shuzo group, manufacturer of traditional Japanese wines and spirits. Let's go to Nagano prefecture in the heart of the Japanese Alps to (re)discover the Shinshu distillery ! If we were to rely on the Mars Whisky bottlings of the last ten years, we could think that Shinshu is a young distillery that has not yet developed an aged range of its Komagatake single malt. In reality, its history is a bit longer and more tormented than it seems, with several reloca ..read more

After releasing its very first single malt in late 2020, the young Shizuoka distillery founded in 2014 by Gaiaflow, presents its second whisky : the single malt Prologue W. Nestled in the heart of a preserved natural setting on the banks of the Nakakouchi River in the Tamagawa region, Shizuoka is equipped with three pot stills : one Japanese-made pot still having been used at the mythical Karuizawa distillery named K, and two Scottish pot stills, a brand new one and a wood-fired one named W. Prologue W is a blend of single malts distilled in this famous W traditional wood-fired pot still ..read more

Announced 5 months ago, the very first single malts of the Sakurao distillery finally arrive in France. Marketed under Sakurao and Togouchi brands, this launch is an opportunity to make a focus on the Sakurao distillery but also on the popular Togouchi whiskies. From world blended whiskies to new 100% Japanese single malts When the first Togouchi whiskies appeared on the European market in 2013, we were the first to clarify its origin and production process. Described, not without reasons, as "fake Japanese whiskies", Togouchi whiskies are then exclusively blends made from grain whiskies impor ..read more

Big surprise in the Japanese whisky world, Chichibu and Mars Whisky have exchanged casks and unveil today their blended malts Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries 2021 Chichibu X Komagatake, and Mars Whisky Malt Duo Komagatake X Chichibu 2021 ! After the announcement last March of the first barrel exchange between the two Japanese distilleries Nagahama and Saburomaru, it is now the turn of two major players in the industry to collaborate with the exchange of several whisky barrels. One might think that this collaboration follows the one between the two young distilleries, but in fact we learn tha ..read more

Founded in 2017 by Chugoku Jozo, Sakurao Distillery has just announced the launch of its first two single malts distilled, aged and bottled in Japan: the Sakurao and Togouchi First Release Cask Strength single malts. Renamed Sakurao Brewery and Distillery, Chugoku Jozo company specialized in the production of alcoholic beverages which was founded in 1918 in the Hiroshima area, started to produce whisky with the famous Togouchi blends composed of imported whiskies and aged in an exceptional place, an old railway tunnel nestled in the heart of a lush forest. After years of perfecting the art of ..read more

In Japan, a bell foundry in the Takaoka region has diversified into creating a still for distilling whiskey and other spirits, designed using the traditional mold-casting method inherited from centuries of know-how. Just like the basic ingredients or the casks, the still is one of the essential elements that forge the aromatic character of the future whisky. They are made of copper and come in various sizes and shapes. Oigo, manufacturer of Bonsho bells, has reused traditional foundry skills to make stills. Simple and robust in design, Zemon is a modular alembic available in 3 capacities : 220 ..read more

The first ever barrel exchange between Japanese distilleries has taken place ! The Saburomaru and Nagahama distilleries have joined forces to create Inazuma and Far East of Peat, the first collaborative whiskies between Japanese craft distilleries. In contrast to the Scottish producers who sometimes have the habit of exchanging casks for the blending of their whiskies, the Japanese distilleries tend to work each in their own corner and are self-sufficient thanks to the great variety of the different types of single malts they have learned to master over the years. Even if the historical produc ..read more