Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Yamazaki distilleryYamazaki distilleryThe Yamazaki 12 Year Old This is the bottle most people mean when they say Japanese single malt, from the country's first and oldest malt distillery, founded by Shinjiro Torii in 1923. It is aged in American, Spanish and Japanese Mizunara oak, and the Mizunara is what you are paying for: a woody,…0
  2. 2Hakushu distilleryHakushu distilleryThe Hakushu 12 Year Old Suntory's forest distillery sits deep on Mt. Kaikomagatake, and its 12 year old tastes like it: basil, pine needle and green apple up front, then pear and mint, with green tea and only a thread of smoke at the end. Pick this over Yamazaki if you like your whisky fresh and…0
  3. 3Yoichi distilleryYoichi distilleryNikka Yoichi Single Malt Yoichi still heats its pot stills directly with coal, at more than 1,000°C, and the spirit carries a bold peatiness and firm smoke. Of the big-name Japanese single malts, this is the one that leans furthest toward coastal Scotch. It is the bottle for drinkers who find…0
  4. 4Miyagikyo distilleryMiyagikyo distilleryNikka Miyagikyo Single Malt Buy it alongside Yoichi and taste the two together: same company, opposite ideas. Miyagikyo, opened in 1969, runs bulging pot stills heated gently by steam at around 130°C, which gives floral aromas and a soft, fruity sweetness instead of Yoichi's coal-fired weight. It…0
  5. 5Nikka Whisky DistillingNikka Whisky DistillingNikka Taketsuru Pure Malt The Nikka to buy when you want both of its distilleries in one glass. Named for Masataka Taketsuru, the company's founder, it is a blended malt made from Yoichi and Miyagikyo malt and bottled at 43%: orange and juicy pear, cardamom and candied fruit, then a little peat on…0
  6. 6Hibiki (whisky)Hibiki (whisky)Hibiki Japanese Harmony Suntory's flagship blend is where its malts and grain meet, and Harmony is the version most people can actually find. Expect rose, lychee and honey, candied orange peel and a soft finish with a hint of Mizunara oak. Hibiki is on Suntory's own list of brands that meet the…0
  7. 7Suntory Whisky TokiSuntory Whisky TokiThis is the budget bottle on the list, and the most honest one in its price bracket. Toki is a Suntory blend that sits on the company's own list of brands meeting the Japanese whisky standard, so the cheap price is not hiding whisky shipped in from elsewhere. It is light and green, with basil,…0
  8. 8Chita distilleryChita distilleryThe Chita Distiller's Reserve Grain whisky usually disappears into blends, which is exactly why this is worth a bottle: Chita is Suntory's grain distillery on the Chita Peninsula, and here its whisky is bottled on its own. It is soft and sweet, with crème brûlée, honey and a little cardamom, and a…0
  9. 9Nikka Whisky DistillingNikka Whisky DistillingNikka Coffey Grain If you loved From the Barrel and want a Nikka that passes the Japanese whisky test, start here. Nikka states plainly that Coffey Grain meets all the criteria, which its sister Coffey Malt does not. It comes from the old-fashioned Coffey stills Nikka imported from Scotland in…0
  10. 10Fuji Gotemba distilleryFuji Gotemba distilleryKirin Fuji Single Grain Kirin's distillery at the foot of Mt. Fuji, running since 1973, makes three different styles of grain whisky, and this 2020 release blends all three and nothing else from anywhere else. The result, at 46%, is fruit-forward and floral, with orange and white grape. It is the…0