The range
Japanese whisky from the two houses that created the category. Suntory's Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts and the Hibiki blend; Nikka's Miyagikyo single malt and From The Barrel, a cask-strength blend that punches well above its 500mL.
Worth knowing before you buy: Japan only tightened its labelling rules in 2021. Before that, a bottle could say Japanese whisky and contain spirit imported from Scotland or Canada. Everything on this page is distilled in Japan by Suntory or Nikka.
The house style leans soft and incense-like rather than smoky, helped by mizunara — Japanese oak, which gives sandalwood and coconut where American oak gives vanilla. Hakushu is the exception, lightly peated and greener.
5bottles. Every one with a reason written against it.
Yamazaki, Hakushu & Chita · Japan
We stock it because it is the bottle we hand anyone who says they do not like whisky. Soft, lightly floral, with no smoke and no heat to argue with. The 24-faceted decanter does not hurt when it is going to someone as a gift.
700 mL43.0%23.7 std
$199.00
Miyagikyo, Sendai · Japan
We stock it because Japanese single malt beyond Suntory is worth knowing, and Miyagikyo is the most immediately likeable place to start.
700 mL45.0%24.9 std
$129.99
Japan · Japan
We stock it because it is the Japanese whisky we recommend most often, and because the strength means it holds up in a highball instead of disappearing.
500 mL51.4%20.3 std
$79.99
Hakushu, Yamanashi · Japan
Hakushu is Suntory's forest distillery, and the 12 is the green one - cut grass, cucumber, a whisper of smoke that arrives late and leaves quickly. It is the malt people reach for when they want something lighter than a Speyside without giving up complexity. We keep it alongside the Yamazaki because the two together show how far one company's house style can stretch.
700 mL43.0%23.7 std
$309.99
Yamazaki, Osaka · Japan
We stock it because it is the clearest way to understand what Japanese single malt actually does differently, and because it rewards drinking slowly rather than analysing.
700 mL43.0%23.7 std
$299.00
