The World’s Best Japanese Whisky — According To The San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Even if you know next to nothing about booze, chances are good that you’ve heard of Japanese whisky by now. Over the past decade the category has skyrocketed to superstardom on a global scale. According to the IWSR, malts and blends from Japan have enjoyed a compound annual growth rate of 47.1% between 2014 and 2019. US whiskey by comparison—which has hardly been in a slump—is at 5.5% over that same period. That’s great for the folks in the Far East making the stuff. But it’s presented quite a challenge for those that want to drink it. There seems to be less and less on American shelves—particularly the premium bottlings.

So it was quite a pleasant surprise last month when the San Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded a ‘Best In Class’ distinction to Shin 10 Year Old Mizunara Oak Finished Malt Whisky. This is a liquid that’s not only readily available—it typically retails for just over $80. Unlike the highly hyped stuff from Japan’s biggest whisky houses (Nikka and Suntory), this one is hardly a household name.

There are a few caveats, however.

For one the SFWSC, curiously, does not have a dedicated category for Japanese Whisky. Entries from the country are streamlined into the ‘Other Whisky’ grouping. It could reasonably be argued that this makes Shin’s victory more impressive since it is going up against competition from around the globe; bottles that can’t claim provenance from the traditional whisky-producing regions.

The second asterisk is more difficult for some to swallow. According to its website, Shin Malt Whisky 10 Year Old is made by selecting whiskies from ‘different distilleries’ which were initially aged in ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks. So, they’re openly admitting to the fact that they didn’t make the whisky. There’s actually no way to know where it came from. Indeed, there are zero Japanese whisky regulations to prevent it from being imported from Scotland, Canada, or anywhere, really.

What is known is that Ken Usami, the master distiller of Shinobu Distillery, took the sourced liquid streams, carefully blended them and finished everything in casks of Mizunara—a coveted Japanese oak that imparts delicate notes of sandalwood and spice into matured spirit.

What comes out of the barrel is a balanced drink with a deep amber hue. It holds aromas subtly evoking vanilla and the fresh bloom of spring. In its medium body are threads of coffee and citrus zest. Enjoyed neat, you can gain an easy sense of why the judges in San Francisco were so enamored. This is a complex sipper which demands a disproportionate amount of attention for such a relatively young spirit.

Save the debate over provenance for another day. This is a damn fine whisky, wherever it was birthed. Is it the best ‘Japanese’ whisky in the world? Well, ultimately, only you can be the judge of that. But unlike many others that have been accused of the same, at least you can still find this one.

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