Japanese Whisky

—Jack Bettridge

It used to be easy to think of Japanese whisky as a pale imitation of Scotch. After all, whisky making began in earnest in Japan a century ago when Masataka Taketsuru apprenticed as a distiller in Scotland. He returned with his Scots wife to open a distillery for Suntory and later one for Nikka. He copied Scotch still designs and found locations that mirrored those in Scotland. Stifle that dismissive impulse. Japan is not only turning out exquisite examples, but also spirits that defy what the Scots would describe as whisky. Because Japan has a fraction of the whisky plants in Scotland and its makers are not given to trading amongst themselves, each distillery is obliged to create several different spirit profiles. Furthermore, they have dealt with cask shortages by employing…

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Cigar Aficionado (Digital) - 1 Issue, September/October 2024

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