Valentine’s Day is near and romance is in the air! Valentine’s Day in Japan is a special event filled with love and affection, during which department stores showcase their best chocolates and Valentine’s Day gifts. From simple $5 heart-shaped chocolate boxes to more pricey chocolate sets featuring artistic and beautiful confectionary creations, Japan does it […]
Jim Murray, world-renowned author of the Whisky Bible and famed whisky reviewer, has sampled over 4,000 whiskies from around the world. In recent years, Japanese whiskies have made history-making appearances in Murray’s comprehensive whisky review books. He memorably named Suntory’s Yamazaki 2013 Sherry Cask the best whisky in the world in the 2015 version of […]
The history of Japanese whisky is shrouded in mystery, since very little is recorded in whisky making before the famed establishment of Suntory’s Yamazaki Distillery in the early 20th century. What we do know is that a few shochu and sake breweries produced Japanese whisky on the side as early as the 1850s. Whisky took […]
Part of the prestigious World Drinks Awards program, the World Whiskies Awards take place on 30 March 2017 and are a highlight of the whisky industry calendar. Every year, prominent whisky associations and reviewers gather to celebrate quality whiskies from all over the world. Taste and Design are the two main factors that help the […]
You may prefer to cozy up inside during the chilliest months of the year, but Japan offers opportunities for winter fun for which it’s worth braving the cold. Japan’s typical winter months are from December to February; the farther north you go, the colder it will be, and many of the northern regions in Japan […]
The Chichibu distillery is small, with only nine full-time employees. It is owned by Venture Whisky which was founded in 2004 in Chichibu, Saitama, just outside of Tokyo, hence its name. The distillery, which specializes in single malt whisky, was the first whisky distillery built in Japan since the 1970s and became operational in 2008. […]
There is no shortage of thawing snow at Mount Asama and the chilly climate provided an excellent location for whisky making. In 1976 the first 100 percent domestic malt whiskey saw the light of day at Karuizawa. The whisky was stored in small barrels, and the distillery used small pots for distillation. The storehouse of […]
If you’re new to Japanese whisky or whisky in general, we’d like to introduce you to a few of the most well-known distilleries and Japanese Whisky Companies in this field. Japanese whisky has gained tremendous attention around the world, and it’s worth noting the popular Japanese liquor companies and distilleries if you want to enter […]
Have you ever wondered why there was an age statement (e.g., 18 years old) on the labels of whisky bottles, or have you believed that the age on the bottles determines its quality for all the time that you’ve been part of the whisky realm? Though it has caused some controversy among whisky enthusiasts, the […]
As part of dekantā’s Whisky 101 series, we’ve created an easy-to-understand guide for whisky novices who are new to the scene and want to learn more about this lovely liquor. In this mini guide, we’ll be explaining what the ‘Angel’s Share’ means in the whisky world. Even the whisky distilleries around the world need to […]