Japanese Whiskey Time

In recent years, the global reputation of Japanese whisky has soared. The Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association has established a definition for "Japanese Whisky," with criteria covering everything from raw materials and production processes to storage, bottling, and color adjustment. As popularity grew, the standard of domestic whisky also rose.

I wonder what prompted everyone to start drinking Japanese whisky?

I started enjoying whisky in 2007. Whisky consumption in Japan peaked in 1983 and had been declining ever since; 2007 was around the end of what is known as the "Whisky Winter." During this "winter," more and more distilleries stopped producing whisky even if they held a license, and manufacturers were gradually weeded out.

As a result, the major brewers remained, and I think that's one reason why high-quality whisky began to appear in the early 2000s.

It feels like the tide turned about ten years ago.

That's true. In 2023, Suntory celebrated the 100th anniversary of its whisky production, but there was certainly a long winter when whisky just didn't sell.

Actually, Suntory was the reason I started drinking whisky. A book I published in 2007 won the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities, and to commemorate the award, I was given a tour of the Yamazaki Distillery in Osaka. They served me a whisky and water (mizuwari) made with the same water used to produce the whisky at the distillery, and I was shocked that such a delicious drink existed.

I bet that was delicious!

I didn't have a habit of drinking whisky until then, but I've been a whisky fan ever since that day.

Suntory later sparked the Highball movement, which stimulated whisky consumption and ignited the Japanese whisky boom. Were there any signs of this before then?

I think a major factor in Japanese whisky gaining global attention was Suntory winning awards at international competitions like the ISC (International Spirits Challenge).

Whisky used to have an image of being a drink for students, while brandy was the go-to for luxury spirits. I think the rise in whisky's popularity is a result of Suntory's branding. Now, the Highball has gained a level of social acceptance on par with beer.

Students these days often toast with Highballs. The secret to its popularity is that it can be diluted. Since the alcohol is watered down, it's easy to drink even for students who aren't strong drinkers.

In the past, the drink that filled that niche was the Chu-hi. In fact, it's said that the Chu-hi boom was one of the triggers for the decline in domestic whisky consumption. It's ironic that the competition was between two distilled spirits, but it's a strange twist of history that beer or wine didn't steal whisky's market share.

I think there was an impression in the food and beverage industry that whisky was a "difficult" drink. It used to be seen as something with a high barrier to entry that you could only drink at a bar, and it was said to be hard to pair with food. The Highball changed that image, which likely broadened its appeal significantly.

When I was a student, Highballs weren't on the all-you-can-drink menus. Import duties on wine were also high, so what students drank was mostly beer and sake. That's why I think starting at 37 was a relatively late whisky debut for me.

I also grew to like whisky after entering my 40s. Since I wasn't a strong drinker back then, I used to drink easy-to-consume things like cocktails.

I'm not a strong drinker either, but for some reason, whisky was the only thing I could handle. While wine, champagne, and sake would knock me out, I could drink several glasses of whisky.

How were you drinking it?

Either as a mizuwari or a Highball. Being able to enjoy drinking whisky was one of the reasons I started making it.

I became able to drink whisky because I learned to sit back and savor it. Drinking takes physical energy, doesn't it? As I gradually built up a tolerance, I got hooked on whisky along with rum and gin.

I started with Yamazaki from the beginning because of that distillery tour. Back then, prices were still low and it was easy to get—it's hard to imagine the current price hikes—so I would buy bottles and savor them.

Eventually, I was invited to tour the Hakushu Distillery in Yamanashi, and I started drinking Hakushu. To me, Yamazaki is the flawless, top-of-the-class type, while Hakushu is the refreshing, handsome type that goes well in a Highball.

However, the boom eventually went to extremes, and the 12-year-old bottles disappeared from store shelves. Just when I thought I was in trouble, I encountered Suntory Old. Since then, I've been drinking Old at home.

I'm envious of bar owners because they can buy so much whisky for work.

It's true that at the shop, I encounter new whiskies almost every week. But Japanese whisky prices are skyrocketing, so there's no end to it if you try to buy it yourself. Now, even non-vintages (bottles without an age statement) can't be bought normally.

I miss the old days (laughs). In the past, if you flew on an international flight with a Japanese airline, you could drink Yamazaki, Hakushu, or Hibiki. They've been making a comeback recently, but there was a period when they weren't stocked at all because prices soared. They probably couldn't serve them at a reasonable price, so the airlines had no choice but to remove them from the menu.

Sasakawa-san, can't you buy any whisky you want as a distillery expense?

Given my profession, I do conduct research (laughs). But I try to drink at bars as much as possible and only buy bottles I really like.

Previously, even for new non-aged bottles, it was just the "Big Three" of Suntory, Nikka, and Kirin, but recently Ichiro's, Akkeshi Whisky, and Shizuoka Whisky have become popular. There are about 150 domestic manufacturers, including those in the planning stages, and new bottles from popular distilleries are becoming impossible to find. The price hikes are incredible; rare bottles of Scotch like Macallan, Bowmore, and Laphroaig from before 1990 are even appearing at auctions for high prices.

Bars that let you drink those as half-shots are great, aren't they?

Long-established bars have stock, but you rarely find them in newer bars that opened to ride the whisky boom.

How do you find information on shops that have stock?

I hear reputations from drinking buddies, like "this place is amazing."

If you go a bit outside the city center, there are bars that serve them cheaply, but rare whiskies in Tokyo bars are expensive. Furthermore, because Japanese whisky has become so scarce, I can no longer casually drink Hakushu or Yamazaki with water or soda. I almost feel guilty doing it.

When whisky was cheap, you could mix it as much as you wanted, but that's especially true now.

That said, I think both mizuwari and soda mixes are delicious, and—though it's a funny thing for a distillery owner to say—I like Highballs the best. Among classic whisky fans, there's a certain insistence that you must drink it neat at room temperature, but on the other hand, I think there are aromas that can only be brought out by soda.

I understand. The scent really comes through. My favorite way to drink is on the rocks when the ice has melted a bit. It's delicious when it's chilled to about a "twice up" state (where the whisky and water are in equal amounts).

Whisky also has a very active collecting culture. Many people buy for investment purposes, but I think the age statement on the bottle label is one thing that fuels the collection fever. It makes it easier to judge value, though it's ironic that this causes speculators to overheat the market.

Before the pandemic, I happened to pass by a Suntory promotion for Yamazaki 18 Year Old at a duty-free shop in London's Heathrow Airport. Bottles were lined up on the shelves, a sight you never see in Japan, and I was amazed. I suppose the goal was to promote it in the UK, the birthplace of whisky, but since more people from other countries pass through duty-free shops, I wondered who they were targeting.

Did you not buy it, Professor?

Of course I bought it (laughs). I had never seen so many for sale, and I can't help but reach for things I might not encounter again. The 18-year-old is hard to find now, but do you drink aged whiskies?

I only drink them occasionally to mark an occasion. As they age, the taste becomes gentler, but personally, I prefer something with a bit more punch.

Yamazaki started shipping again after the pandemic, but the non-aged versions that haven't reached 12 years definitely have a youthful flavor. I feel they would have more depth if they were allowed to sleep a bit longer before coming out.

Domestic manufacturers must all be increasing production right now.

Speculative demand, mainly from China, has settled down a bit, and Suntory products have become easier to obtain. I hope that in 10 years, we'll be in a world where they can be bought more easily.

In the whisky process, machines are involved for only a very short period; most of the production process is a period left to the natural action of aging. Twelve years is a tremendous amount of time—a baby becomes a middle school student. I think the romanticism of the aging process, keeping the original spirit locked in wooden barrels for so long, is incredible.

That's true. There's a story that when Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, was building a distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido, he struggled because no one would invest due to the extreme length of the aging period. I think that's understandable. He was only able to build it because some extraordinary people put up the money, but most businesses can't wait that many years.

Whisky is a business that simply takes time. I also went around seeking investment to start my distillery, and I struggled with cash flow. Various people told me, "You won't make a profit for 10 years, right?"

In that respect, things haven't changed much from 100 years ago.

I think whisky is about the only industrial product like that. In 2020, Yamazaki 55 Year Old made headlines when it was released at 3 million yen per bottle. Due to its rarity—limited to 200 bottles—it reportedly fetched over 100 million yen at auction.

Setting aside the price, aging something for 55 years is amazing. Even if you prepared it yourself, you're spending an amount of time that might mean you can't drink it while you're still alive. In a technologically advanced society, there probably isn't a more primitive manufacturing industry.

Since it's not something you ship repeatedly, it's a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, so to speak. You don't have to worry about the continuity of taste with the blend of the next single malt you make, right?

It's certainly sad if the person who prepared it can't drink it (laughs).

Exactly. I've started making whisky, but there's a possibility it won't even be evaluated while I'm alive. It's a business that involves your sons and grandsons.

Perhaps that's actually a more natural timeframe for whisky.

In the whisky aging process, the wood of the barrel expands when the temperature is high and contracts when it's cold. As this repeats day and night, breathing with the outside air and the leaching of barrel components reduces unpleasant alcohol components, odors, and pungent smells, bringing the alcohol to a flavor-rich state. The barrels used for aging also greatly affect the taste.

Many used bourbon barrels from Kentucky, USA, are used in whisky making, but various other types of aging barrels are also used, such as sherry casks and wine casks. Even with the same raw materials and process, the taste after aging is completely different depending on what kind of aging barrel is used. This is another interesting aspect of whisky.

That kind of information is also noted on the bottle labels, isn't it?

Yes. If it says "Sherry Cask Matured," it has been aged using sherry wine barrels, and you can actually taste a fruitiness like dried fruit. "Bourbon Matured" uses barrels that were used to make bourbon, and you can sense flavors like vanilla or caramel.

Wasn't it difficult to obtain barrels for SASAKAWA WHISKY as well?

The price of used barrels is rising significantly right now. Whisky production is active in China, India, and Southeast Asia, and a global scramble for barrels is unfolding.

There is a process called "charring" where the inside of the barrel is burned, right? I actually saw the charring process at the Hakushu Distillery, and I thought that was the source of the smoky flavor. However, according to the people at the distillery, it is peat that creates the smoky flavor.

I had assumed that burning the wood produced a smoke-like flavor, but that wasn't the case. So, I want to know what the purpose of burning the inside of the barrel is, and by what principle the smoky flavor is created.

The smoky flavor of whisky depends on whether the malt used in the mash has been peated or not. To generate saccharification enzymes, the raw barley is germinated, then smoked and dried to stop the growth so it doesn't sprout too much. Generally, anthracite is used for this drying, but in Scotland, where peat was common as a household fuel, it is still used in the drying process in some regions like Islay.

Peat is a type of turf formed from carbonized grass and moss deposited in geological layers. Burning this imparts a unique smoky aroma. The characteristic smoky flavor of whisky is created by kilning the malt with this peat.

Charring the inside of the barrel is not for smoky flavoring, but because burning the wood generates a component called vanillin, which leaches into the whisky during maturation. This imparts a vanilla flavor to the whisky.

I see. A long-standing mystery has been solved.

Mizunara casks are also frequently used in Japan, aren't they? Now even Chivas Regal is marketing products aged in Mizunara casks. Are Mizunara casks still being made today?

Hibiki, Yamazaki, and Hakushu, which led the global Japanese whisky boom, all use Mizunara-aged malt as a key component. Oak used for barrels includes American oak, European oak, and Japanese oak. In the period shortly after the war when foreign oak could not be used, the domestic barrel material Suntory used was Mizunara.

Initially, it was a desperate measure, but years later, it was discovered that this wood has a complex, incense-like aroma unique to it, and the whisky made in those barrels became highly acclaimed. That is why overseas makers like Chivas Regal began using it.

So makers other than Suntory can also use Mizunara casks.

The barrel manufacturer Ariake Sangyo still makes new barrels, but production is low and prices are high. "Chivas Regal Mizunara" is a Mizunara cask finish, meaning they sell spirits that were aged in other barrels and then stored in Mizunara casks for the final period of maturation.

Actually, Mizunara trees grow very slowly. Even at an old age, they don't get very thick, so the amount that can be used as lumber is limited. They mostly grow in clusters in Hokkaido, but the moment they hit the market as planks, they are bought up, so it's a situation where new entrants can hardly buy any.

Since the number of Mizunara casks is limited, Chivas Regal likely uses the cask finish method for maturation. The fact that Japanese people discovered Mizunara casks led to the global acclaim of Japanese whisky, but at the time, no one knew it would result in such a characteristic flavor. I think it's an interesting story that something aged for 10 or 20 years eventually came to be appreciated by the world.

Early domestic blended whiskies were basically for the domestic market, and I don't think they were aiming for something that suited Western palates. Within that, they continued to maintain the flavor profile and then suddenly received awards from abroad in the 2000s. Is there some kind of trend or flow here?

Besides Mizunara casks, another reason Japanese whisky is highly regarded is the blending ability of the Chief Blenders. At Suntory, there was a man named Seiichi Koshimizu who served as Chief Blender and determined the direction of the whisky's taste. This role is now held by the fifth generation, Shinji Fukuyo, and it is a job that cannot be done unless one possesses a sense of taste that is exceptionally keen, even by global standards.

The people in Suntory's blender room have the ability to discern the taste of the raw spirits in each barrel and create deep flavors by combining them. It is an incredible skill to be able to combine tens of thousands of barrels of raw spirits and achieve a uniform taste.

Compared to Scotland, Japan has fewer blended whiskies, doesn't it? Basically, no maker provides barrels to other companies.

Blended whisky consists of malt whisky and grain whisky. Malt uses only barley as a raw material, while grain is made from corn and several types of grains. Actually, making grain whisky requires a very large machine called a continuous still, so it is difficult unless you have major capital.

Are there any distilleries starting to make grain? If there are 150 in the country, they won't all be able to survive on single malts alone. I feel like in about 10 years, delicious domestic blended whiskies will emerge.

Sasakawa: Certainly, Japan is active not only in rice cultivation but also in corn production in Hokkaido, so if we pursue spirits with the goal of local production for local consumption of raw materials, I feel we will head toward grain. Japan has low barley production, and SASAKAWA WHISKY imports almost all of its malt from Scotland. When we think about the future of Japanese whisky, we also believe it is desirable to be able to produce raw materials domestically.

Conversely, if we limit the origin of the barley, it could be tough for Japan. Especially since barley has a low production volume among grains.

Scottish barley, which has been selectively bred for whisky, has a high "alcohol yield," which indicates the rate at which starch turns into alcohol. To create the toastiness and the heavy taste inherent to whisky, Scottish barley is inevitably better. Various makers are trying domestic barley, but it is also important to cultivate domestic malt specifically for whisky.

Is the malting technology for generating enzymes important?

I think what's important are fermentation, distillation, and maturation. Of course, malting is important, but how to ferment the malt to be flavor-rich is also crucial. Yeast plays this role, and we test yeast blends and fermentation methods many times to create the most delicious spirit.

But there's probably no single correct answer. I suppose the result is ultimately the "taste of the distillery."

That's right. That's why each maker spends day and night running trials with various patterns, but the answer doesn't emerge until after the maturation period.

Furthermore, the maturation environment of the distillery greatly influences the taste of the whisky, so the location is very important. Not just temperature and humidity, but conditions like altitude, surrounding vegetation, and proximity to the sea are also vital. There is also a rule that whisky maturation must basically take place in the same location and under the same conditions as the outside air.

Is room temperature control not allowed?

Since the definition of whisky is to mature it under the same conditions as the natural environment, you must not control the temperature. If the outside temperature at the distillery is high, maturation accelerates, but the amount of evaporation, known as the "Angel's Share," also increases. If the outside temperature is low, there is less evaporation and long-term maturation becomes possible, but maturation requires a long time.

The places where whisky is made are unique. Wineries are usually in the middle of vineyards, and sake doesn't have to be in a rice field so it can be in the city, but whisky distilleries stand in nature-rich environments suitable for storage.

Our distillery is located at an altitude of about 1,000 meters, in an environment close to Scotland with an average annual temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius. Unless the land is at a reasonably high altitude and cool enough not to feel the sweltering heat, it might be difficult to get through Japanese summers.

Do you have an image of the final form of the whisky you and your team are trying to create?

I do. My favorite brand is Glenfarclas, made in the Speyside region of Scotland, and I am aiming for that. Glenfarclas is distilled over direct fire and matured in sherry casks; it is characterized by a heavy, sweet taste reminiscent of honey and fruitiness.

What is your favorite whisky, Mr. Yamada?

The one I've been drinking consistently is Ardbeg from Islay. I love the scent of peat and drank it every day for 10 years. Recently I've gotten a bit tired of it, and I've actually been drinking tequila for the past year.

Bottles called "Blanco," which are aged for less than three months, have a green freshness and are delicious. Even though it's tequila, I don't drink it in shots like young people. It's more like sipping something good on the rocks.

Tequila is also having a boom right now.

It's probably partly due to the fact that whisky prices have skyrocketed too much.

Tequila used to be synonymous with spirits meant just to get people drunk, but now many different varieties are available. The flavors are each unique and interesting.

I was shocked when I first drank Laphroaig.

Few people find Laphroaig delicious from the start. It's the type of spirit you get hooked on after drinking it two or three times.

I realized after getting hooked on Laphroaig that I ultimately like smoky types. Because it has such a strong character, some people say it smells like "Seirogan" (a medicinal scent).

Among Islay whiskies, I like Ardbeg, which has a strong peat aroma, and I have 20 varieties stocked at my bar. Since limited editions are released about twice a year, I've been buying them for 10 years since we opened, and now I have 20 bottles.

Ardbeg is also a wonderful spirit. Whisky lovers keep seeking different tastes, so their preferences tend to swing toward extremes. Eventually, they mostly go to peated, then get tired of that and return to the fruitier side.

I'm wandering in between right now (laughs). For Japanese whisky, it's Hakushu. Yamazaki feels a bit sweet to me.

I once asked someone from Suntory why the tastes of Yamazaki and Hakushu are so different.

Isn't the production method different?

Apparently, Hakushu mixes peated malt and non-peated malt. Usually, it's one or the other, but mixing them results in a refreshing citrus-like flavor. I don't know why that happens, though.

Are there any standout distilleries besides the major makers?

One I tasted and found delicious was the Kuju Distillery in Oita Prefecture. Because it's a single malt first bottle (spirit matured in the first barrels used for whisky), it has no age statement, but it has a solid structure and a taste closer to Scotch—specifically Speyside in Scotland—than Japanese. Since it was a tasting, I drank it neat while adding water, and it was delicious.

Actually, Takahiro Kato, a graduate of my seminar, comes from a family that runs a sake brewery called Meiri Shurui in Mito, and he is now challenging himself with whisky making.

I heard he was taking on whisky after he graduated, but apparently his grandfather had tried whisky making about 60 years ago. However, the factory suffered a fire and he had to give up; Kato decided to get a license and inherit that dream. He has been working on it since 2022 under the name Takazo Distillery. I was allowed to tour the distillery when he had just started production.

Has it been commercialized yet?

Yes. I was allowed to try a one-year-old freshly distilled spirit, at the stage where it had finally been put into barrels for the first time. At that time, it couldn't be drunk as a normal whisky. It seems long-term maturation requires considerable time, but they appear to be making efforts to build a fan base by releasing young raw spirits.

By the definition of Japanese whisky, it must be matured for at least three years, but regions with high average temperatures can produce something more matured in the same three years, and some distilleries ship delicious whisky even before three years have passed.

The one-year-stored liquid I was given wasn't quite pineapple, but it had a sweetness, and I felt it would become even more delicious if matured well. Later, I was given some to drink as whisky, and it was indeed delicious.

What I would like to recommend is the Akkeshi Whisky from Hokkaido, made by Keiichi Toita of Kenten Jitsugyo, who is also a Keio alumnus. That said, it's so popular it's hard to buy. The reason Mr. Toita built a distillery in Akkeshi is because the environment is similar to Islay. Both Islay and Akkeshi are oyster-producing regions, and on Islay, there is a food culture of drizzling Islay malt over raw oysters.

At Mr. Toita's Akkeshi Distillery, they released a bottle named "Oyster Lullaby" with the sentiment that "Akkeshi's oysters and whisky mature together, using the same sound of the tide as a lullaby."

Delicious whisky always has a fascinating background story, doesn't it?

I run a lacquerware shop, and the reason I started a bar was because I wanted to create a lacquer space. Based on that idea, we always stock "Old" (Suntory Old). The small bottle of "Old" was designed to fit comfortably in Japanese hands during an era when whisky wasn't yet widespread in Japan, and the black bottle with the red cap is actually the coloring of lacquerware.

I see!

When thinking about a lacquer space, a cafe felt a bit light. Since I also like alcohol, I decided to make it a bar and built a lacquer-painted bar counter. I felt "Old" was indispensable there.

That's lovely. Old bottles really do have a certain atmosphere.

But "Old" is too cost-effective, so if you try to get people to drink it at a bar, it's not good for business (laughs). That's why I set up the space properly to create an atmosphere.

So it's a fee for the atmosphere (laughs). It's not that I want to stick with "Old" forever, but both "Hakushu" and "Yamazaki" have become impossible to get. It's easy on the household budget, so I just can't bring myself to change it.

"Old" is in just the right price range for daily drinking. I wish there were more delicious blended whiskies like this in Japanese whisky.

But to produce something like that, you need a certain scale of production, don't you?

That's right. The reason the US can produce bourbon in large quantities is because of the vast cornfields in the Midwest. With Hokkaido's current production volume, the cost of raw materials would be too high.

Even for a non-major distillery, if you're trying to do something decent with malt, don't you still need a large distillery?

The hard part is storage costs rather than manufacturing equipment. To make a lot of whisky, you need multiple aging cellars. You can't keep up unless you add one building the size of a gymnasium every year.

That would be ten buildings in ten years.

To improve storage efficiency, every manufacturer builds upward, but Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, where our distillery is located, has height restrictions. Therefore, we have no choice but to expand horizontally, and acquiring land is also difficult.

When is SASAKAWA WHISKY scheduled for shipment?

We are planning for around 2028, but we don't know yet. If the aging process goes well, we can release it as scheduled, but there is a possibility we might postpone it. This is something only God knows.

Do you have an image of the flavor in mind?

I have an image of the direction of the flavor, and I have absolute confidence in the taste of the raw spirit, but for the finished product, you won't know until you open the barrels after aging. We taste every barrel to check the degree of maturation, but even if we can check the taste, we can't change it midway (laughs).

However, even if a raw spirit is sharp and not delicious, it can become very tasty after aging, which is part of the fun of whisky making. Of course, the opposite can also happen. At Suntory, it's said that they are required to create "raw spirits that can withstand aging," but as aging progresses, individuality gradually disappears. We are struggling with how to create a "naughty boy" with a strong personality.

Conversely, even if you feel the raw spirit isn't delicious, you have no choice but to let it age.

Exactly. The answer only comes five or ten years later.

Are the concepts for the SASAKAWA WHISKY bottle and package design still to come?

Right now, I'm working on various designs that are elegant and full of originality.

The shape of the bottle and the label can be a big trigger for young people who are thinking about trying whisky for the first time, right?

The "I.W. Harper" 12-year-old bottle is characterized by a design like Kiriko cut glass, but for a while, the bottle couldn't be made and it was discontinued.

Also, "Glenfiddich" has a triangular prism and "Hibiki" has a 24-sided prism; the distillery's commitment shows in these unique bottles.

The 24-sided prism of "Hibiki" is named after the 24 solar terms, and Echizen washi paper is used for the label. Since Yamada Heiando does its manufacturing in Echizen, when I hear "Echizen washi," I end up buying it as a way to support the local economy.

It's also fun to collect from the perspective of the bottle or packaging.

Why don't we go with lacquer for the SASAKAWA WHISKY box? (laughs)

That's a good idea. I definitely want to consider those kinds of designs for high-end packaging.