This week on our YouTube channel, Mark talks about the phenomenon that has been sweeping the whisky industry in recent years: Japanese whisky. It was not until the early 20th century that whisky distillation began in Japan. Amazingly, this innovation was all down to one man: Masataka Taketsuru. In this video, Mark takes you through […]
Suntory Limited has recently announced some price hikes on standard releases. Whiskies from Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita will be affected, as well as Hibiki and Ao. In a press release Suntory said “we will be implementing price revisions in order to further improve the brand value by improving the quality of the contents, strengthening our […]
In our new YouTube video, Mark takes a deep dive into four amazing bottles of Japanese whisky available to buy on the Mark Littler Shop: Hibiki 17 Year Old Shiki Kacho Limited Edition – £16,800 Hanyu 1991 Ichiros Malt Jack of Clubs 2nd Edition – £25,551 Hanyu 1988 Ichiros Malt King of Diamonds 2nd Edition […]
Online whisky forums have been buzzing this week as rumours spread of the release of two 50 year old Karuizawas. If you are a regular reader of the Mark Littler Blog, then you may have read our history of Japan’s lost distillery, Karuizawa. Karuizawa distillery ran from 1955 until 2000, when it was mothballed. It […]
Yamazaki is Japan’s oldest distillery, and produces some of the best Japanese whisky on the market. Founded in 1923 by the founder of Suntory, Shinjiro Torii, the distillery has continually distilled Japanese whisky since opening its doors. The distillery is located at the foot of Mount Tenno where the rivers Katsura, Uji, and Kizu meet, […]
The market for Japanese whisky has grown exponentially in recent years, as more and more whisky drinkers begin to discover the delightful single malts and blends that hail from Japan. If you are new to Japanese whisky, or would like to expand your palette, this article will help you to decide which malts will be […]
Japanese whisky has long been a topic of conversation in the whisky industry. Some of the conversation has been good, such as the award winning whiskies that are coming out of the country, and some of it bad, such as the flexible labeling laws that have drawn increasing attention over the last few years. On […]
Akkeshi Distillery is still in its infancy, having only started distilling in 2016, but the distillery is working extremely hard to produce unique whisky at its location in the north of Japan. The distillery sits near to the sea in the town of Akkeshi on the island of Hokkaido. The proximity to the sea means […]
White Oak distillery is located in Akashi near the town of Kobe in Japan, and is also used for the production of sake as well as whisky. The distillery is owned by Eigashima Shuzo Co. Ltd. The original distillery was founded in 1888 and was the first in Japan to obtain a licence to distil […]
Owned by Suntory, Chita was always destined for greatness. Suntory’s second Master Blender, Keizo Saji (the son of Suntory’s founder, Shinjiro Torii) founded Chita in 1972 with a view to creating high-quality Japanese grain whisky, and furthering his father’s dream of diversifying whisky-making in Japan. Image via Suntory Chita distillery is located on the Chita […]
Shinshu Mars distillery is located high in the Japanese Alps, in the small village of Miyada, around 145 miles from Tokyo. The distillery sits at an altitude of 798 metres, making it the highest distillery in Japan, making whiskies to match this lofty title. Image via Whisky Auctioneer Ltd Shinshu Mars is owned by Hombo […]
Chichibu distillery may be the smallest distillery in Japan, but it is a powerhouse. This little distillery produces award-winning whiskies that sell for hundreds of pounds per bottle straight out of production. Chichibu whiskies very quickly sell out, thanks to the cult following that the small distillery has gained. Image via dekanta Chichibu distillery is […]
Hibiki, in Japanese, means “resonance” or “echo” referring to the harmonising whiskies within the blended whisky. Produced by Suntory using whiskies from Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita, Hibiki blended whisky is revered around the world and championed as a staple of Japanese whisky. The Hibiki brand was founded in 1989 by Suntory to celebrate the company’s […]
Fuji Gotemba Distillery sits at the base of the iconic Mount Fuji, in the town of Gotemba, which is around 70 miles from Tokyo. Having Fuji in the background is perhaps appropriate, as Fuji Gotemba is the largest distillery in the world, beating out Glenfiddich in Scotland. The distillery is around 1.7 million square feet. […]
Miyagikyo Distillery is the second distillery owned by Nikka. The site for the distillery was discovered by Masataka Taketsuru, founder of Nikka and father of Japanese whisky, whilst he was searching for a new site on which to build a distillery. The site at Miyagikyo turned out to be the perfect spot, and so Taketsuru […]
Yoichi Distillery is notable for its unique location, and the effect that said location has on the whisky that matures there. Yoichi distillery is located in the town of Yoichi, on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The distillery sits in close proximity to the sea, nestled in a basin that is surrounded by mountains. […]
When one thinks of Japanese whisky, the name Yamazaki always comes to mind. Yamazaki is Japan’s oldest distillery, founded in 1923 by the founder of Suntory, Shinjiro Torii. Yamazaki is the flagship of Suntory’s range of whiskies. Shinjiro Torii envisioned Japanese whisky distilled in a climate completely different from that which whisky is made in […]
Hakushu distillery is a Japanese whisky distillery owned by Suntory, one of the largest spirits providers in the world, and owners of many other Japanese distilleries such as Yamazaki and Chita. Hakushu was established in 1973, originally located on the slopes of Mount Kaikoma on the border of Hokuto in the Chubu Region of Japan. […]
In the mid-2000s, a new whisky phenomenon was on the horizon, promising rare and wonderful bottlings, the likes of which had never been seen in the Western world. I am talking, of course, about Japanese whisky. Scotch whisky stood firm at the head of the market, with distilleries such as Macallan, Ardbeg, and Bowmore producing […]