Tony Aspler, the Wine Guy

This is a guest post by Tod Stewart, Contributing Editor, Quench magazine.

Perhaps those most caught off guard by the surge in popularity of Japan’s whiskies were Japanese whisky makers. When the 2013 Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask was named World Whisky of the Year in the 2015 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, Japanese whisky went from international curiosity to international sensation… to being almost completely un-gettable.

Stocks of aged single malts literally began to evaporate to the point where finding a few bottles of the stuff – even in Japan – became virtually impossible. Distilleries began releasing no age statement (NAS) single malts. Then blended malts. Then blends of grain and single malt whiskies. Then just grain whiskies. Anything to keep a presence in global markets. Not to say that some of these latter offerings weren’t superb, but those hankering for an aged single malt produced in Japan have been out of luck for quite a few years now.

If you manage a whisky distillery that’s running low on (or is out of) spirits that have reached the legal minimum age to actually be called “whisky” you have a couple choices: release un-aged “whisky” (aka “white dog”), or distill new spirits that require no aging and can be brought to market quickly (e.g., vodka, gin).

Japan’s most respected whisky producers – Nikka and Suntory – have both released gin and vodka brands. Both distillers will claim that doing so was not in any way a financial decision. I have no reason to doubt them. Okay, I do. Yet given the quality of these spirits, debating the rationale behind creating them is pretty pointless. Like much of what the Japanese do, you either go all in or stay out when creating stuff. I’ve had the good fortune of tasting both Suntory’s Haku Vodka and Roku Gin, and the Nikka Coffey Vodka and Coffey Gin. Continue reading →