Japanese Whisky Finally Gets A Definition, But It’s Complicated
A worker at Akkeshi Distillery in Hokkaido, Japan checks the spirit safe, positioned beneath a Shinto shrine. A new set of voluntary regulations will, for the first time, provide a definition for Japanese whisky. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
It’s been an open secret for years that some Japanese whiskies aren’t so Japanese—that is, they’re often made with imported whisky, blended or proofed down or simply bottled locally, and then labeled as “Product of Japan.” Many such brands exist, though typically not openly, cloaking themselves in kanji and Japanese names while never disclosing that some or all of the liquid inside the bottle came from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, or elsewhere. But such practices may soon be a thing of the past, as Japan’s leading spirits trade group has established guidelines to clarify what makes a Japanese whisky Japanese.