Japanese vs Western Whiskey
Is there a difference between Japanese whiskey and Western whiskey?
Yes, from the flavor profiles, to the distilling process, there are very clear differences if you know what to look for. Both are great, but it depends on what flavors and things you are looking for in your whisky. Although whiskey did not originate from Japan, Japanese whiskey has become well renowned to whiskey drinkers today and continues to grow in popularity. Now when you think of Japanese liquor many tend to go straight to sake but do not sleep on their whiskies. The thing that makes Japanese whiskey so unique is their production process, the purity of the water used, and many of their distilleries are built at higher altitudes which then result in lower boiling points when distilling due to the pressure. This is how and why the flavors of Japanese whiskey are so smooth and unique because their way of distilling allows the flavors and aroma to be retained better. Also, even the shape of the wood used for the barrels will add different tasting notes which can lead to the similarities of peatiness and smokiness of scotch.
Japanese whiskies tend to follow scotch distilling traditions which is why a lot of scotch lovers tend to love Japanese whisky. However, the Japanese tend to have a more open mind in terms of flavors and tend to be less consistent, having a wider range of flavor notes. While western whiskies tend to be more predictable and consistent with vanilla and oak notes. Japanese whiskies tend to be smoother, and fruitier while Scottish whisky tends to be smoky and woody. I tend to go towards a Japanese whiskey in my collection as the subtle flavor notes of citrus and white peach tend to be my favorites. But let me be clear, Japanese whisky is not sweet, if you like a sweeter whiskey I would stick to American bourbon. But if you love the smoky and peatiness of Scotch, then try Japanese whisky for the fruitier side of whiskey. That is one of my favorite things about Japanese whisky, is how experimental in flavors they can get and how there can be so much depth to each one.
So, happy National Whiskey Day! Go have a highball, an old fashioned, or drink it neat for you brave souls.
