Japanese Whisky

A fascinating whisky made with Yoichi, Miyagikyou and some 'grain' whisky that isn't really grain - it's malt whisky made in a Coffey still at Miyagikyo! So this is really a vatted malt, or 'blended malt whisky' as we're supposed to call it these days.

Nikka from the Barrel is big-boned and bursting with character. Not averse to a drop of water, either. A real star, winning top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards in 2007 and 2010.

A very endearing, subtle malt with a strong whiff of peat, this is a curious but superb marriage of different Japanese malts - and it really delivers. Brilliant.

A storming example of what Japanese whisky is truly capable of. A previous batch was awarded a massive 95 points by Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible.

Blended with Japanese malt from Nikka's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries, this is clean, fruity and very easy to drink.

A release of grain whisky from Japan's Nikka, produced mainly from corn using one of their continuous Coffey stills. Rather than the rare and limited releases they have done before, this is a larger release to further show off this key component in the Nikka family of whiskies.

A younger blended malt from the Nikka family, Nikka Taketsuru is named after Masataka Taketsuru, who founded the company in 1934.
World Whiskies Awards 2012 - Best Non-Scotch Blended Malt 12 years and under

A stunning 12 year-old blend from Hibiki, some of the whisky has been part-matured in plum liqueur casks. Lovely malt from Hakushu and Yamazaki, plus some aged grain from Chita, this terrific Japanese blend picked up the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2010
IWSC 2012 - Gold Medal - Whisk(e)y Worldwide

'Yamazaki 12 year Old is a pioneering malt in Japan, for which Suntory deserve great credit. In its early days, it was rounded and delicate...now it is more intense, confident and elegant. 8/10' Michael Jackson, Whisky Magazine, Oct 2002
IWSC 2011 Gold Medal Winner - Best in Class

An introductory malt from Yamazaki, Japan's oldest distillery (founded in 1923). This is mild-mannered, clean, sweet malt, charming and very accessible - Speyside fans looking to try a Japanese malt should start here.

A great gift - not only do you get a bottle of the fantastic Nikka 'From the Barrel', but it comes in a nice presentation pack with a pourer and two smart glasses to drink it from! Picked up the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2010.
World Whiskies Awards 2010 - Best Japanese Blended Whisky (NAS)

A perennial favourite and a must-try for anyone interested in discovering Japanese whisky. Hakushu is owned by Suntory, founders of the first Japanese distillery, Yamazaki.

A TWE exclusive release of Karuizawa, part of a vatting of 77 sherry casks bottled at 48% to produce a well rounded and affordable example of the distillery's character. The casks used for Spirit of Asama were filled in 1999 & 2000.

A ten year old, elegantly peaty single malt from Nikka's beautiful Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido, where whisky is made as it used to be in Scotland with small direct-fired stills and matured in the finest wood the company can find. Bottled at 45% for extra oomph. On the face of it, this is expensive for a ten year old whisky, but it's well worth the money in quality terms.

A soft, clean, sweetly fruity and extremely approachable Japanese malt from the Miyagikyo distillery in Sendai, Northern Japan.

A blend from the king of independent Japanese distillers, Ichiro Akuto. In addition to whisky from his own stocks, including potentially Hanyu and Karuizawa as well as his own Chichibu distillery, and possibly also some components distilled at other Japanese distilleries and from other countries - as it says on the label 'This is worldwide blended whisky'.

A exclusive bottling of whisky from Karuizawa for TWE, part of a vatting from about 77 casks and bottled at 55%. It's a different prospect to the various single casks that shoot off the shelves, offering a great tasting overview of the distillery's character unencumberd by decades of sherry cask maturation.

A special edition Yamazaki from Suntory, aged in a 480-litre puncheon cask, which allows the whisky to mature much more slowly than the standard 230-litre hogshead. There's no age statement, but at 48% and unchillfiltered, it's likely to be pretty tasty.

The unpeated half of the pair of bourbon barrel matured whiskies released by Suntory in 2011. Limited to just 1000 bottles in the UK market this was matured in first fill bourbon casks, giving a big spicy and malty whisky.

A long-trailed whisky from Hakushu that has finally reached our shores - matured in first fill bourbon barrels to give a massively fruity dram.