Given that lengthy aging periods are so fundamental to whiskey production, the Japanese whisky industry presently exists in an uncharacteristic state of flux.
In early 2021, the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association (JSLMA) announced a new set of labeling standards dictating what can and can’t be called “Japanese whisky.” For the time being, the guidance remains an agreement among producers rather than law, and brands have a transitional period of up until 2024 to make sure their labels comply.
Provenance and ingredients form the heart of the new standards, which will prevent producers from importing whiskey, bottling it in Japan, then selling it labeled as Japanese whisky. Nor will they be able to sell aged, 100 percent rice distillates as whisky — even though they qualify as such in countries like the United States.
Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the quality of such distillates, but it’s worth pointing out that these developments are happening in Japan, and that producers appear more focused than ever on transparency.
So what should you expect from Japanese whisky here and now? To begin with, single malts, blended whiskies, and grain whiskies, all arriving with a wide range of age statements (and without). Drinkers can look out for bottles made using a range of cask finishes, too. That might sound a lot like Scotch, and the similarities are numerous, but Japanese whisky holds its own distinct profile and identity — two things that bodies like the JSLMA are working hard to protect.
