Whisky sour! Why your trendy Japanese tipple may be Scotch
IT is one of the trendiest drinks around and can cost up to £500 a dram in fashionable bars .
But many Japanese whiskies are feared to be simply blends made in Scotland, sparking an investigation by industry bosses.
As many as 35 trendy brands are thought to be either partly or completely made up of Scotch but are often charged at much higher prices across the UK.
There are now hundreds of versions of Japanese whisky – many with a hefty price tag. In 2018, a 50-year-old bottle of Yamazaki was sold at auction for almost £300,000 in Hong Kong.
But the drink’s popularity means there are fears counterfeiters have started passing off Scotch blends as exotic Far Eastern whiskies.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has asked its legal team to investigate and has promised to take ‘appropriate’ action against any brands guilty of ‘passing off’.
Up to 80 per cent of young, less than three years old, Scotch whisky stocks go to Japan and the country also buys bulk stocks of both Irish and Canadian whiskey to mix with its own versions to create blends.
However, some are believed to be using wholly Scotch whisky – such as Haig Club launched by David Beckham in 2014 – but under the Japanese whisky label.
A spokesman for the SWA said: ‘If there is evidence that products are being sold as Japanese whisky but are made exclusively from Scotch Whisky, then the SWA will investigate and take appropriate action.
‘As in all our global markets, the SWA will work to stop the sale of fake or misleadingly labelled products that unfairly take advantage of the quality and reputation of Scotch Whisky.’
The Japanese whisky website Nomunication claims up to 35 of 81 brands claiming to be Japanese whisky are using Scotch, Irish or Canadian spirits.
A spokesman said: ‘That kind of information is generally a trade secret. It’s known that they use imported bulk Scotch, and sometimes Irish and Canadian, but not specifically who is doing it.’ Professional
food and drink taster Martin Isark said: ‘Whisky drinkers are going to be hacked off when they find out that they have paid serious money for Japanese whisky when it is second-rate Scotch.
‘The Japanese whisky industry needs to sort this passing off problem out pretty damn quick or they could see buyers and drinkers disappearing as fast as they arrived.’
Specialist seller The Whisky Exchange has 71 Japanese whiskies for sale, costing from around £30 to £9,000 for a 1972 Karuizawa.
Whisky Exchange buyer Dawn Davies said it now accounts for 15
‘We will investigate and take appropriate action’ ‘Customers demanding more transparency’
per cent of their overall sales. The trend has been boosted by rave reviews of Japanese whiskies from industry experts.
Ms Davies said: ‘This will become more of a problem for Japan. Unless they start to put laws in place and be very transparent this could be their downfall, as customers are demanding more and more transparency and want to understand where product comes from.
‘There are Japanese whiskies that are very good that use Japanese and Scotch spirit, so it is hard to say this blending is bad, it is not, but there should be honesty.’