While Japan is best known for sake worldwide, it also has a killer whisky industry that’s lauded by spirit connoisseurs.
Commercial whisky production in Japan began in October 1923, just a month after the massive Great Kanto Earthquake. With a parcel of land between Osaka and Kyoto, Shinjiro Torii built the now well-known Yamazaki Distillery, just outside Kyoto.

Hakushu and Yamazaki whiskies (photo by Daiji Hirata CC BY)
Anyone who’s seen Lost in Translation will fondly remember the scene in which actor Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is filming a commercial for Suntory whisky. This cameo launched the then relatively obscure whisky into pop culture.
Japanese Whisky Basics
To help you enjoy a glass or two of these exclusive Japanese spirits on your trip to Japan, we’ve written this primer on Japanese whisky. Special thanks are due to the diligent writers behind Nonjatta, a treasure trove of English-language information on Japanese whisky. Extra special thanks go out to Stefan Van Eycken for taking time away from writing his book to speak with us about Japanese whisky.
Japanese Whisky vs. Scotch
Before we dug into the best places to enjoy Japanese whisky, we needed to know: what sets it apart from Scotch"
Van Eycken filled us in: “In terms of producing the actual liquid, Japanese whisky follows the Scottish tradition and practice, but there are a few interesting twists. Suntory, for example, uses casks that previously contained umeshu [a Japanese liqueu...