Whisky in Meiji era (Megira, 1868? 19 12) was introduced to Japan, and commercial brewing began in1920s. Influenced by Scottish brewing culture, Japanese whisky is similar to Scottish whisky in style. Although the brewing history of Japanese whiskies is relatively short, they can now compete with some of the best scotch whiskies and win many internationally renowned whisky competitions.

Japanese Yamazaki Whiskey (Source: whisky.suntory.com)

Shinjiro and Takeshi Masahiro are considered to be the founders of Japanese whisky. As a young man, Takehiko Masahiro was an apprentice at Hazelburn Brewery in Scotland. After returning from school, Takehiko Hiroshi brewed the first Japanese whisky in Yamazaki, a whisky distillery owned by Suntory in the 1920s, and Nojiro Niai was the founder of Suntory.

Nojiro Niai (Source: whisky.suntory.com)

I. Japanese breweries

Suntory and Nikka are the two giants of Japanese whisky industry, and there are many wineries in various parts of Japan, such as Yamazaki and Shiraishi of Suntory, Yoichi and Miyagikyo of Yijia. In addition, there are some smaller wineries in Japan.

San de Li shan qi brewery

Image source: whisky.suntory.com

Located between Osaka and Kyoto, this distillery was founded by Nobujiro Niai in 1923 and is one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Japan. Nobujiro Niai chose to build Yamazaki Winery here because the natural water quality here can greatly affect the flavor of whisky.

San de Li Bai Zhou brewery

Image source: whisky.suntory.com

Suntory Baizhou Winery was established in 1973, located near Jiafu, Yamanashi Prefecture. The brewery is located in the Woods near southern alps, close to pure water, with museums, shops, bars and restaurants, which is worth visiting.

Yiyu Jiashi Distillery

Wu Yanchang Hong (Source: www.nikka.com)

Yijia Shi Yu Brewery, located near Otaru, Hokkaido, was founded by Masahiro Takehiko, the first Japanese brewer, after leaving Suntory. Founded in 1934, it is also a very old distillation plant in Japan.

A Miyagi Canyon winery.

Image source: www.nikka.com

One plus Miyagi Gorge Winery was built in 1969, located in the forest near Sendai. The winery is surrounded by forests and has a landscape pond as beautiful as a traditional Japanese garden.

Second, taste Japanese whisky.

Image source: whisky.suntory.com

There are many ways to enjoy Japanese whisky. The most common methods are direct drinking, Mizuwari (whisky with water) and Oyuwari (whisky with water). In addition, Highball's drinking method is also very common in Japan, which refers to the drinking method of adding carbonated drinks to whisky. In Japan, almost all izakaya and most restaurants have whisky on their wine lists.

Third, a good place to drink whisky.

Zhiduo single grain whisky (source: whisky.suntory.com)

Cocktail bars, hotels, bars and other places may provide Japanese whisky. Generally speaking, special whisky bars can drink good whisky, but such bars usually exist only in some big cities. Of course, whisky lovers can also choose to buy their favorite Japanese whisky in physical stores or e-commerce channels, and then choose a suitable time to enjoy it quietly at home with family and friends.