@PBMichiganWolverine haha, they weren't doing you any good anyway though, were they?

@Richard-ModernDrinking @doneeb i had to look up “conflating”. Well done Mr.Richard...I can now formally throw my diplomas in BS/MS engineering and MBA in the trash.

@cascode, Perhaps I'm more cynical than you, given the dramatic increase in Scotch (SWA says bulk exports to Japan quadrupled between '13 and '18) and Canadian whisky going to Japan and the dearth of labels that acknowledge that fact leads me to believe there is much more obfuscation than we're aware of. The new regulations will hopefully help with this.

@PBMichiganWolverine, > I think adding “Japanese “ to the label automatically raises prices by 100%. --> hahaha, exactly.

@Richard-ModernDrinking, Wasn't conflating, I was responding specifically to: "...those core Japanese malts are just elegant in a way that other whiskies can only dream of." Thanks for the link, I've perused that list before and I'm really looking forward to the shift in regulations--the more transparency the better.

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath @PBMichiganWolverine, but it was interesting to see that the distiller was trying to go in that direction rather than enjoying the inflated prices. There's a little hope.

@ContemplativeFox get it back down to $80???! If that happens, I’m pulling up with a UHaul. But, I think these guys are like the airline industry. Once prices fo up, even if it’s for a little leak in some remote pipeline that can fixed with duct tape, it’ll always stay up.

@ContemplativeFox I think adding “Japanese “ to the label automatically raises prices by 100%. Sort of like when we walk into a any foreign market: “ hey look, a gringo, triple the price! “

@PBMichiganWolverine I was surprised about FTB when I first heard about it too. Excluding Yamasaki 18, FTB was the first Japanese whisky that I really liked, so finding out that it was partly scotch made me wonder what the point of seeking out Japanese was.

@Whiskey_Hound I read recently that Hakushu production has increased enough that there are plans to get the 12 YO back on shelves at $80 in the next couple of years. We'll see if that actually happens.

@PBMichiganWolverine @cascode Same here. A sideline to the whole ‘is it Japanese’ headline is how good Nikka have been in their cross pollination of Ben Nevis, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. Session and From the Barrel are tasty drams.

@cascode @Richard-ModernDrinking I was surprised by Nikka from the Barrel, which I really liked.

@cascode yes I was also surprised by the Coffey Malt. I need to go through the list in more detail and dig further into some of the new info the distilleries have provided.

@Richard-ModernDrinking What a fascinating list - thank you for pointing it out. A couple of big surprises there, particularly Nikka Coffey Malt, which I had understood was all Japanese! At least the Coffey Grain is Japanese and I feel slightly smug, having always preferred it to the malt anyway 🙂

@doneeb There has been some sensational journalism associated with this news of industry-sponsored, voluntary regulation of Japanese whisky. To the best of my knowledge there has been little if any subterfuge associated with exported Japanese single malts, but I admit it is not my field of expertise. We know for a fact that some of the big-name blended whiskies (Nikka from the Barrel, Nikka Black, etc.) do contain a fair slurp of Scottish whisky (mostly Ben Nevis). I get the feeling the main thrust of this undertaking is to reassure overseas buyers that they can actually trust the expensive Japanese whisky they are shelling out big bucks to buy, and to control the shonky producers of domestic blended whisky that are truly screwing Japanese consumers.

@doneeb the Japanese ones are confusing ( until recently when they finally put some structure around it). But —in general, Yamazaki, Hakushu, Yoichi, and Nikka are made in Japan. The peat might be from elsewhere, but all else is Japanese. These four are solid quality. We can go back and forth on price, but quality is A-level. Our resident expert @Slainte-Mhath can shed more light on it. ( I purposely left out Karuizawa, Chichibu, and Hanyu...cause those are serious home mortgage payment level prices )

Here’s a good resource for understanding what counts as Japanese whisky vs imported spirit under the industry’s new guidelines: https://www.nomunication.jp/2021/04/13/jslma-japanese-whisky-list/

@doneeb You are conflating single malts and blends. Hakushu 12 is a single malt distilled in Japan.

@bigwhitemike, I think you'll find that even "core" whiskies that claim to be Japanese are actually from Canada & Scotland. While there's nothing wrong with sourcing, the same can't be said for intentionally obscuring the origins of one's products as well as superfluous claims that Japanese whisky is more "insert adjective" than others'. They're no different than American, Canadian, Irish, and Scottish whiskies; there's good, bad, and middling versions of each.

@doneeb reference was to "those core" whiskys, which I certainly didn't define but was thinking of flagship brands (by habit, Suntory especially - Yamazaki, Hakushu, etc.). Understood that many "Japanese" bottlings include some (or substantial) imported components, but personally I've found the flagship lines tend to have distinctive and characteristic profiles and while they may not "earn" scarcity pricing (we consumers did that) their reputation for quality/craftsmanship/flavor/uniqueness is indeed well-earned.

@bigwhitemike, "Japanese malts are just elegant in a way that other whiskies can only dream of" --Does that include all the Japanese whiskies that are actually rebranded Scotch and Canadian?

@jonwilkinson7309 Thanks man! I agree! @bigwhitemike that was before I really got into whiskies (quality ones at least), so getting this for sub-$100 seems like a pipe dream. But I agree that this remains worth the value if it doesn't go up too much in the future. I already see this for $200 more than I see it for under $150 which is ridiculous. At $120, I'll be back for more though

Great review! VFM is tough with Japanese whisky, but to me this one is worth the extra $.

It's tough to appreciate whiskies that have doubled or tripled in price, but to me those core Japanese malts are just elegant in a way that other whiskies can only dream of. Really like this pour and I think it's still worth it > $100. There just aren't others like it.