Japanese whiskies: from the very top tier to the more average ones


May 5, 2026

Japanese whiskies: from the very top tier to the more average ones
	Shindo Distillery (Shindo)

We probably won’t be tasting only genuine Japanese whiskies, meaning whiskies actually distilled in Japan. Matters may seem obvious to 90% of people, and yet… That said, the situation does seem to have become clearer over the past three or four years, though you still come across horrors here and there whose only Japanese credentials are the samurai or Mount Fuji on the label. I know, we’re repeating ourselves, but the millions of bottles of ‘fake’ Japanese whisky have still been the biggest scandal of the past fifteen years in the whisky world. What’s that, rum? Who mentioned rum? … In any case, we’ll proceed at random; we shouldn’t, at any rate, reach the heights of the thirteen Chichibus we tasted on 20 April.

Kiyokawa ‘The Cask’ (61.1%, OB, Japan, PX, 398 bottles, 2026)

Here we are in Nagano, and this is their first single malt, brand new and rather handsome, made ‘from farm to bottle’ entirely in Japan. Except for the PX, of course, but perhaps they have planted some ‘Pedro’ in Japan? Moreover, it would seem they are using ‘wet casks’, so not rinsed as is done elsewhere. In theory at least. Colour: gold. Nose: powerful, youthful but we rather like that, close to the grain yet also to sherry, in a fresh and elegant manner, with no raisiny effect. Speculoos, amber ale, flint, marzipan and fruitcake that is not overly sweet. With water: gingerbread! The PX is doing its job and doing it well in this instance. Mouth (neat): oily, very good, on pepper and speculoos, bitter orange, and a mix of peppers, coriander seeds and juniper. With water: it becomes honeyed, also on prunes and currants. The PX keeps playing its part. Finish: long, rich, candied. Comments: it is always rather odd to put farm-to-bottle malt into PX or other wines from the far ends of the earth when you are not, say, in Andalusia, to me that slightly contradicts the chosen approach, but in the glass, here, it worked very well for me. But do not ask me to tell you about Kiyokawa’s distillate. We hope to avoid ruby Port in mizunara next time, if indeed there is a next time. And if there is ruby Port in mizunara, may God preserve us.
SGP:671 - 84 points.

If we’re going to make comparisons, we might as well try to do it properly…

Chichibu ‘Australia Edition 2024’ (52.5%, OB, Japan, 480 bottles)

Hey it is not because we tasted quite a few Chichibu last month that we are going to deprive ourselves today. Here is a vatting of peated and unpeated matured in several different kinds of casks. Colour: pale gold. Nose: I find myself thinking that the main marker of Chichibu on the nose, across all styles and cask types combined (and there have been some oddish ones), is as much the fattiness as the minerality. Am I mistaken? Here is a fine example, combining a rapeseed oil side with a little basalt, ginger, sweet pepper, toasted hazelnuts, wood ash, and even tomato sauce, although these were very fruity tomatoes. Tomato is a fruit after all. Behind all that, a few drops of orange juice and oyster juice. I love this nose, one just needs to take one’s time. Tomato, that is something! With water: herbs, cut flowers, dried flowers, tomato bush. Mouth (neat): that oily side again. A slight cabernet edge, the rest revolves around peppers and ashes. And tomato, I swear, like a slightly spicy Tuscan sauce (and lengthened with grappa, ahem). With water: still a little mad and with such an unusual side that we already like it for that alone. Finish: long and fatty, yet a little tighter on more classic flavours, peat, seafood… Comments: in theory, I ought not to like this too much, but I am already admiring the Australians simply for the fact they manage to keep their whiskies in their glass while walking around upside down (rest assured, all is well at WF HQ)…
SGP:465 - 90 points.

The Daisen ‘Red Wine Cask’ (40%, OB, blend, Japan, The Matsui, Kurayoshi, Japan, +/-2025)

At least it was Japanese red wine, apparently, that was used for this quick finishing. The wine may well have been more Japanese than the whiskies used in this blend… Colour: straw. No pinkish hue whatsoever. Nose: light, pleasant, without fault, without rough edges, on apple juice and yellow plum juice, barley syrup, scones… Mouth: not too bad at first, malty, but it then drifts into cardboard and sawdust, with nevertheless a few agreeable citrus notes. Finish: short. No sign of red wine and we are not going to complain about that. Perhaps a hidden raspberry right at the very end? Comments: what were we talking about? Seriously, it is not bad.
SGP:341 - 75 points.

The Daisen ‘Sakura Cask’ (40%, OB, blend, Japan, The Matsui, Kurayoshi, Japan, +/-2025)

But of course, cherry wood cask used for a quick finishing. Likely staves, heads, or perhaps chips? Frankly, I had quite liked those ‘Matsui’ in pure malt form at 48% vol., but here it is different, it would seem. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: close to a floral eau-de-vie, mullein, woodruff… I rather like it, but alas, no notes of cherry stalks, which I had hoped for. Nor any kirsch… Mouth: we are not very far from the ‘Red Wine’ (which red wine was anecdotal in any case), on the palate it loses a little freshness and clarity. The floral or cherry eaux-de-vie seem to have vanished… But there is pear! Finish: short but those pear notes do work. Comments: cherry that smells of pear, why not? I quite like it.
SGP:441 - 78 points.

We’re certainly no longer up in the Chichibu heights, but we shall press on… Like Confucius, we hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and take what comes…

Maen ‘The Perfect Circle’ (43%, OB, Japan, blend, bourbon barrel, +/-2025)

For me, a ‘perfect circle’ is a very old 45 rpm record by Zappa, Miles or Coltrane, but let us move on… If this is 100% Japanese, I am Céline Dion’s guitarist. May God preserve her from that. Colour: gold. Nose: well it is not bad, it is a bit like Chivas, there is barley, overripe apple, nougat, barley, overripe apple, nougat, barley, overripe apple, nougat, barley, overripe apple, nou… Mouth: I shall not do the same trick again, but it is rather good, a little less rounded, perhaps a little rougher. Finish: fairly short, a little indistinct, cardboardy and on tea. Comments: we are back in the territory of the two previous ones. Nothing to cry wolf about either.
SGP:431 - 75 points.

The Daisen ‘Mizunara Cask’ (40%, OB, blend, Japan, The Matsui, Kurayoshi, Japan, +/-2025)

Oops, I nearly forgot the mizunara, even if there is probably less mizunara here than lark in lark pâté. But do you know a whisky brand that does not use mizunara these days? The forests must be getting devastated! Colour: pale white wine. Nose: hey, not bad at all, on asparagus, artichoke and hyacinth which softens it all a little, then a few drops of fir bud liqueur. Light aniseed and fennel. For now, it is my favourite… I mean of the blends. Mouth: not bad indeed, there is less of that ‘beer’ effect than in most of these blends, but we are not quite reaching the heights either. Curious touches of ham with lemon and fir. Really. Finish: quite good, fairly fresh, less scattered than the other. Touches of lime, aniseed and mint, that is rather pleasant. Comments: my favourite of the three. We do joke a lot about mizunara, but if they use it so much, there must be a reason after all.
SGP:441 - 79 points.

The Tottori ‘Bourbon Barrel’ (43%, OB, Japan, blend, +/-2025)

It is ‘aged a minimum of three years’, can you imagine! I rather fear we may be scraping the bottom of the drawer here, but do not worry, we shall quickly set things straight afterwards… Well, we hope so. Colour: pale gold. Nose: no, it is perfectly decent, on vanilla cake and a few root vegetables. Carrot tart. I do quite like these cake batter notes here, truth be told. Mouth: indeed, not bad at all, carrots, honey yoghurt, turnips cooked in syrup, all that I rather enjoy, one has to be honest. Finish: and even a few saline touches. It really is rather good, this little Tottori, especially as a little fennel then appears. The aftertaste is a touch rougher, but that is only to be expected. Comments: a pleasant surprise, I was expecting nothing. And as usual, 43% makes an enormous difference compared with the rather stingy 40%.
SGP:351 - 79 points.

The Daisen Mizunara would probably come in at WF 81–82 if it were bottled at 43%. Right then, let’s raise our game, but we’ll stop after the next one and pick things up again tomorrow, all being well, or very soon depending on our schedule…

Shindo 3 yo 2022/2025 (59%, OB for AF Trade & The Antelope, bourbon barrel, cask #10332)

Straight from Fukuoka Prefecture, on the northern coast of Kyushu. We had literally a-do-red cask #10254 (WF 90). Colour: white wine. Nose: Shindo, this is grand, it is rich, it is textured, it is almost thick, even on the nose. Lemon cake and, since we are in Japan, mochis with green bean paste and whipped cream. And a scoop of toasted sesame ice cream, hoppla. With water: white soils soaked by the rain, focaccia dough, clay, slate… Mouth (neat): what class! Lemon green tea with a pinch of salt, that is more or less all there is, but it is so high-definition that it carries everything. With water: it inevitably remains focused at this age, but those little lemons and those clays are magnificent. Finish: enough natural beauty. Comments: one of the names that already matter, but we knew that. Just imagine, we have now already tasted three Shindos. Three!
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Just to be clear, we don’t want older whiskies all the time, we simply don’t want the age of our whiskies to be hidden from us.
Right then, we’ll add one last of the last ones, as we often do (S., there’s always a last one, no?). We’re sometimes a bit like one of those dreadful Tesla Cybertrucks, we find it hard to stop…

Kanosuke 2021/2025 (60%, OB, for Casa de Vinos, 15th Anniversary, Japan, bourbon, 198 bottles)

Here we are back in Australia. There is something rather amusing on the label, it says ‘Founded in 1833, established in 2017’. Feels a bit like ‘a Bushmills’, does it not? Colour: light gold. Nose: this is tough against the Shindo, as we are a little in the same league, except that this Kanosuke is far more extroverted, with more exotic fruits dressed in mint and honey. Philosophically, we prefer the elegant austerity of the Shindo, yet we are still human, and this magnificent fruitiness cannot leave us indifferent. Who mentioned Bushmills? With water: it folds back a little towards bread dough and earth, plus lemon zest. Mouth (neat): the two come closer on the palate, but the 60% prevents us from exploring further without adding water. With water: boom! Citrons, kumquats, limes, bergamots, yuzu, finger lime… Right, we shall not list them all, but it is a magnificent cavalcade of sharp citrus fruits. Finish: and it rolls on and keeps going… Comments: in the end, the two arrive very close in terms of level, and in styles that are ultimately kind of similar on your palate. They are much more different on the nose than on the palate.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Unless they start extreme tinkering with yeasts, and with a few exceptions, the new Japanese producers (and I do mean new genuinely Japanese malt whiskies distilled entirely in Japan) don’t seem to be taking the shortcuts sometimes used elsewhere, including in Scotland. Perhaps it’s a question of purity of concept, something we fully subscribe to. Many more Japanese whiskies in the coming days on WF...

Check the index of all Japanese whiskies we've tasted