From whisky to craft beer and sake, Japan is a major player

Japan has emerged as one of the world's most inspiring destinations for fans of grain-based drinks. From whisky to beer and sake, the options are growing and worth a closer look.

Suntory has two whisky distilleries open to visitors, Yamazaki and Hakushu, with the former the most convenient for travellers, just 15 minutes by train from central Kyoto. This town is an essential stop for visitors to experience the atmosphere of old Japan, with its many exquisite gardens, temples, shrines and palaces. A tour of Yamazaki offers some respite from the inevitable ‘temple fatigue’. The distillery was established in 1923 by Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii, who was inspired by Scottish whisky production methods. “Shinjiro’s vision was not to replicate the flavour profile of Scotch, but instead to create a truly Japanese whisky suited to the Japanese palate, which preferred delicate, subtle flavours,” says Suntory’s chief blender, Shinji Fukuyo.

Shinji tells me that the structure of the whisky industry in Japan has also shaped their style. “In Scotland, different distilleries will make a signature style and exchange whiskies between each other to create a multitude of blends,” he explains. “When we first started making whisky over 90 years ago, there were no other producers we could exchange stock with to create blends, we needed to be totally self-sufficient.

“We needed to create a diverse range of malts under one roof and we did this by using various stills of different shapes and sizes, and different cask types to age the whisky. We call it ‘Tsukuriwake’, diversity in the whisky making,” Shinji says.

Yamazaki’s feats are a shining example of the Japanese ability to not only succeed in emulating Western industry pioneers, but also eventually better their achievements. Continuing a string of accolades for Japanese whisky, legendary critic Jim Murray in 2015 named a Yamazaki single malt ‘world’s best’ in his Whisky Bible. He declared it “a single malt which no Scotch can, at the moment, get anywhere near”.

Visitors can taste samples from a huge collection of Yamazaki expressions on display in its beautiful whisky museum, and see the distillery’s setting at the convergence of three rivers, which has an important impact on the local microclimate.

“Waters of different temperatures merging together creating a fog, even in the cold winter time – this is very unique. Therefore, throughout the seasons, this area is saturated with humidity, which is perfect for whisky maturation as there is less evaporation,” Shinji says.

There are ample opportunities to try Yamazaki in Japan’s many cocktail bars, where you should also seek out exceptional whiskies from Asahi’s Nikka and smaller independent brands such as Mars and Ichiro’s.

The Japanese Old Fashioned is a common riff on the classic cocktail. In lieu of bourbon or rye, the local version typically pairs Japanese whisky with seasonal fruits that can be muddled at the drinker’s discretion to sweeten the cocktail.

Bar Cordon Noir in Kyoto is a 30-seat, upmarket speakeasy-style venue offering more than 600 whiskies, including many rare expressions. Here, the Japanese Old Fashioned showcases a single grain whisky from another Suntory distillery, The Chita, deftly paired with yuzu, orange, lemon and shiso herb for a delightfully fresh, savoury variation.

Sake on the rise

Close to Cordon Noir is Matamoya, where the focus is on another famous Japanese beverage, sake. Despite our inability to speak Japanese, the team at this izakaya-style den is extremely accommodating, serving flights of beautiful sakes from Ishikawa prefecture, known for its complex sake style.

Sake consumption continues to decline overall in Japan, where the population is falling and younger people supposedly deem sake unfashionable. But there is no sign of this at Matamoya, where the hip young crowd eagerly consumes it with sashimi and other impeccably presented bar snacks.

Masakazu ‘Masa’ Minatomoto, general manager of Fukuju Sake, believes the rice wine may be coming back into vogue. “Recently, sake has been introduced in magazines, books, web and TV in Japan, so I think the impression that sake is cool stuff will spread to young people from now on,” he says.

Japan’s 1300 sake breweries are spread across several key regions, with distinct raw materials and production twists resulting in sake of different styles. Masa tells us that Fukuju Sake – produced at the family-owned Shu-Shin-Kan brewery in Kobe – uses only the ‘king of sake’ rice varieties, Yamada Nishiki. It also benefits from the mineral-rich Miyamizu waters of the locality, he adds, and a traditional, handmade approach to production.

“By combining these factors, we believe we can create a distinctive character that other breweries cannot express,” Masa says.

The top sake in Fukuju’s range is Fukuju Gold, a ‘daiginjo’ sake, meaning the rice has been milled down to no more than half its original size, ensuring a more elegant fragrant style.

We savour a bottle that night at Mouriya Lin, a teppan-yaki restaurant in Kobe City that Masa recommends for the region’s famous Kobe beef, which is sliced and grilled in front of us with great precision by our chef.

Japan is now undeniably a global whisky superpower, thanks to the reputation that’s been built in a remarkably short time by its two major distillers, Suntory and Asahi. Masakazu ‘Masa’ Minatomoto, general manager of Fukuju Sake, believes the rice wine may be coming back into vogue.

The craft brewing scene

At most Japanese restaurants it would be unlikely to find any beers available outside of the ubiquitous rice lagers such as Asahi Super Dry. But Japan is in the midst of its second craft beer boom, with small breweries continuing to open across the country, joining more established names like Yo-Ho (now part-owned by Kirin), Baird Beer, Minoh Beer and Hitachino Nest.

Now numbering more than 300, many of these microbreweries are yet to really penetrate mainstream distribution channels. As such, they are best experienced in their own taprooms and the specialist craft beer bars that are becoming increasingly common in the major cities, such as Goodbeer Faucets in Tokyo, Craft Beer Gulp in Osaka and Kyoto’s Craft Man.

As in any nascent brewing industry, quality is variable among newer entrants. But do your homework and you will find innovative breweries turning out some world-class beers.

“I like the Belgian and Belgian-American style beers some Japanese breweries are making,” says Ry Beville, founder of the popular street press Japan Beer Times.

Kyoto Brewing Company is one of the finest exemplars of this approach, fusing its house Belgian yeast strain with predominately American hops for a unique line-up of beers. “A number of Japanese breweries have been experimenting with using sake yeast and/or other sake ingredients,” adds Ry. These include rice, koji (fermented rice) and more.

Osaka-based Konishi Brewing Company drew international attention for this technique in 2016, when it won a Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup for its Arima Beer Japan Ale, made with the sake rice, Yamada Nishiki.

With such innovative hybrids emerging and the nation’s culturally ingrained dedication to continuous improvement in everything it touches, Japan promises excitement for drinkers who visit in years to come.

Legendary critic Jim Murray in 2015 named a Yamazaki single malt ‘world’s best’ in his Whisky Bible.