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Best Japanese whisky for beginners

Light Japanese blends to start with, the single malts to try next, and how to tell whether a bottle meets the Japanese whisky standard, at live UK prices.

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Start with a light Japanese blend such as Suntory Whisky Toki or Nikka Days, drunk as a highball or with a little water. If you like it, move on to Suntory’s no-age-statement single malts, Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve and Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve, or the Hibiki Japanese Harmony blend. All of these are bottled at 40% or 43% ABV.

Check the label first

“Japanese whisky” has a definition, but it is an industry standard rather than law. The Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association (JSLMA) standard, applied in full from April 2024, says the whisky must be fermented, distilled and matured for at least three years in Japan, in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres, and bottled in Japan at 40% ABV or more. Some long-running blends sold by Japanese companies have included whisky from other countries, and those cannot be labelled “Japanese whisky” under the standard. Whiskipedia covers the standard and its gaps.

A Japanese brand name or a Japanese-looking label does not prove where the whisky was made. If origin matters to you, look for the words “Japanese whisky” or the JSLMA’s “JW” logo on the label.

The five tests for Japanese whisky under the voluntary JSLMA standard, in force from 1 April 2021. First, malted grain must be used; other cereal grains may be added, and the grains and water must be collected in Japan. Second, saccharification, fermentation and distillation must take place at a distillery in Japan. Third, it must be distilled to less than 95% alcohol. Fourth, it must mature in Japan for at least three years, in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres. Fifth, it must be bottled in Japan at 40% ABV or more; plain caramel colouring is permitted. A whisky that meets all five may be labelled Japanese whisky. One that does not should not be; Nikka Days, for example, is labelled a blended whisky.

Light blends to start with

Suntory Whisky Toki: £29.50 at Master of Malt. A 43% ABV blend of malt whisky from Suntory’s Hakushu and Yamazaki distilleries with grain whisky from its Chita distillery. Suntory launched it in 2016 as a highball whisky, and its suggested serve is one part Toki to three parts soda.

Nikka Days: £37.99 at Tyndrum Whisky. A light 40% ABV blend from Nikka, which is owned by Asahi. Nikka says Days does not meet all the JSLMA criteria for Japanese whisky, and some UK shops list it as a world blend, so check the label if the standard matters to you.

The Chita Suntory Whisky 70cl: £49.49 at Master of Malt. A 43% ABV single grain whisky from the Chita distillery, founded in 1972 in Aichi Prefecture. Grain whisky is usually lighter than malt, which suits a highball. Whiskipedia on Chita.

Single malts and a blend to try next

Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve: £64.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A 43% ABV single malt with no age statement (NAS) from Hakushu, which Suntory founded in 1973 in the Southern Japanese Alps. Hakushu’s house style is usually described as fresh and green, and some of its malt is peated. Whiskipedia on Hakushu.

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve: £74.95 at Master of Malt. A 43% ABV NAS single malt from Yamazaki, between Kyoto and Osaka, which Suntory opened in 1923 as Japan’s first malt whisky distillery. Suntory blends it from several cask types, including Mizunara, a Japanese oak. Whiskipedia on Mizunara casks.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony: £74.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. Suntory’s 43% ABV NAS blend of malt and grain whiskies from its own distilleries. It is usually described as richer than Toki and is often drunk neat or with a little water.

How to drink it

A highball is a good first serve. Chill a tall glass with ice, add one part whisky and three or four parts cold soda water, stir once and add a strip of lemon peel. A bottle at 43% ABV can take the larger amount of soda. Neat, a few drops of water open the whisky up and take the edge off the alcohol.

Age-stated Japanese single malts, such as Yamazaki 12 Year Old, are scarce because producers made less whisky in the 1990s and 2000s. Read why old whisky is expensive for the reasons, or see every bottle in Japanese whisky.

Sources and review

Where to go next

Questions

Is Japanese whisky good for beginners?
Many Japanese blends are light and suit mixing. Suntory Whisky Toki (43% ABV) blends malt from Hakushu and Yamazaki with grain whisky from Chita, and Suntory presents the highball as its signature serve.
Is a highball a proper way to drink whisky?
Yes. It is one of the most common ways whisky is drunk in Japan, where Suntory’s Kakubin highball is a standard bar order. Fill a chilled glass with ice, add one part whisky and three or four parts chilled soda, stir gently once and add a strip of lemon peel.
Is Toki good neat?
It can be drunk neat, but it is light, at 43% ABV, and Suntory presents it as a highball whisky; the recipe Suntory’s team gives is one part Toki to three parts soda. A few drops of water or one ice cube suit it neat.
What makes a whisky Japanese?
Under the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association standard, applied in full from April 2024, Japanese whisky must be made from malted grain (other cereals allowed) and Japanese water, fermented, distilled and matured in Japan for at least three years in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres, and bottled in Japan at 40% ABV or more. It is an industry standard binding on the association’s members, not law. Whiskipedia explains the standard.
Why is Japanese whisky expensive?
Japanese distillers cut production when demand was low in the 1990s and 2000s, so there is little aged stock for today’s demand. Suntory paused sales of Hakushu 12 and Hibiki 17 in 2018 for that reason, and age-stated Japanese single malts remain scarce. Why is old whisky expensive?

About the author

Tom Gregan

· Writer

Tom came to whisky by way of cocktails and rum. As the mind behind CocktailDB.com he spent years on citrus balance, bitters and modifiers before John dragged him over to neat spirits.