Unlike most whiskies, the best Japanese whisky has no real distinction in terms of regional styles, nor does it have any unifying character. This means bottles could be sharp and spicy, smoothly mellow, herbal and zesty or anything in between depending on their blend, grain and cask-ageing method.
It’s important to note that the Japanese whisky industry has recently experienced a shake-up. Previously, producers could use ingredients from other countries as long as the whisky was bottled in Japan, but today stricter measures must be met in order for the product to carry the label “Japanese whisky”. You can read more about these conditions here.