Bourbon Psychosis heads East

“Kanpai!” – Traditional Japanese toast, literally meaning “dry cup” or “empty the glass”

Let’s travel East, far East. You might not know it, but Japan is one of the top bourbon/whiskey consumer nations in the world. Their appetite is voracious for the stuff, especially high-end, allocated, rarities from the United States. Another, perhaps little known, fact is that Japan is amongst the top whiskey-producing nations on earth. And … they make some really nice juice.

I like different. I think that part of the fascination with bourbons/whiskeys is the never-ending search for that “something special.” Of course, in my quest for the out-of-the-ordinary it would only make sense to look to the Japanese.

My first run-in with Japanese whiskey was with Nikka Coffey Grain. Not gonna lie, I bought it because I thought it was going to have a coffee flavor, and they just spelled coffee differently. Ahh, ignorance! It’s actually named for the type of still it was produced in and has zero to do with coffee. I’m not going to go into the different types of stills here. You can consult the Googles for that if you’re interested.

This very nice, 90-proof whiskey was delicious with hints of bourbon as well as notes of caramel and vanilla. It might be the power of suggestion, but I swear it has a slight coffee flavor as well. However, as we have learned, I’m easily suggestible. Though I enjoyed the Nikka, I didn’t go hog-wild on purchasing other Japanese whiskeys. I know! Some signs of restraint. Then … a good friend of mine went on a trip to Japan and brought me back a couple of little bottles of whiskey to sample.

One was “The Tottori.” The Tottori is a 96-proof blended whiskey aged in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. Its flavor profile is listed as “cream, lemon sponge cake, black pepper, and oak.” I’m sitting here at my desk sampling it right now, and I’d say that I agree (at 11 a.m.). Hey! I’ve gotta do the research. Besides, I’m sure it’s five o’clock somewhere. Overall, pretty good booze. Yet … I still have the small bottle after several years and it’s three quarters full.

The second bottle was “The Chita,” made by the venerable Suntory Distillery. Suntory is one of Japan’s oldest distilleries and has an interesting history. Again, not going to get into that here. Today, it is one of the largest whiskey conglomerates in the world. It might sound familiar to you because in 2014 it acquired the Jim Beam brand.

Back to the booze. The 90-proof Chita was amazing! Light, yet complex*, if I could describe it in one word: buttery. Its official flavor profile is listed as “honey, crème brûlée, and citrus.” I really, really, enjoyed this whiskey. The contents of my little bottle vanished quickly. I rushed to the liquor store (several in fact) to find more.

Alas, not available in Indiana. Go figure! It still isn’t. For years I was unable to get it. Then, my good friend (same one) snagged a couple of bottles for me on a recent trip to Florida. Indiana needs to get with the program! One of these new bottles is already almost empty.

My final Japanese whiskey experience is a collaboration from Suntory/Beam called Legent. Legent is a 94-proof bourbon created by Fred Noe and then aged in red wine and sherry casks. It is then blended by Suntory’s master blender Shinji Fukuyo. It’s a solidly good, spicy, whiskey with notes of “fruit and cinnamon.” To me, there’s not much of a “wow” factor there.

There you go, my experiences with Japanese whiskeys. Of course, there are tons more examples out there that I haven’t tried. Certainly there are some gems amongst them. My problem is that delving into Japanese whiskeys is a whole new ballgame. I have enough issues with collecting bourbon and other American whiskeys. Progress … I’m limiting myself! Yet, I believe that a foray into these different, delicate, flavorful offerings would be wholly worthwhile.

*I was so proud of myself when this thought came to me. Then a few seconds later (literally) I looked at the AI description from the Suntory Distillery and they used the same words. Swear on a case of Pappy Van Winkle that it occurred to me on my own. I’m getting better at these hoity-toity descriptions!

Jon Smyrnis is a lifelong Indianapolis area resident. He enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking, dining out, and, of course, fine cocktails and great bourbons.