The world’s best Japanese whiskies, the ranking

1. Yamazaki 12 Year Old: The first Japanese single malt to gain international acclaim, recognized for its complex flavor profile which includes notes of caramel, citrus, and a hint of smoke.
2. Hibiki 21 Year Old: This blended whisky has won multiple awards and is known for its rich and delicate balance, with layers of dried fruit, dark chocolate, and a hint of oak.
3. Nikka Yoichi: Produced in a distillery that emulates traditional Scottish whisky-making methods, it features a bold, peaty flavor with a nuanced sweetness.
4. Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve: Known for its fresh herbal notes and a refreshing taste, it often includes elements of green apple, mint, and subtle smoke.
5. Chichibu The Peated: A relatively new distillery that has gained a cult following; it showcases a distinctive peat influence and complex, rich tastes specific to Japanese terroir.
6. Mars Komagatake: Made at the Hombo Shuzo distillery, it is known for its unique terroir that produces a fruity, citrus-forward flavor profile with a slightly spicy finish.
7. Karuizawa: This now-closed distillery is highly sought after by collectors, known for its rich sherried flavors and unique characteristics due to its aging conditions.
8. Shinshu Distillery: Located in the Japanese Alps, its whiskies are known for their delicate texture and often showcase floral and fruity notes.
9. Togouchi: A blended whisky from Japan that combines both malt and grain whiskies, offering a smooth and balanced flavor with a hint of fruitiness.
10. Akashi White Oak: Produced by the White Oak Distillery, it’s known for its light body and floral notes, embodying the elegance characteristic of Japanese whiskies.

While Scotland once firmly held the record for the world’s best whiskies, now the Japanese have routed the European competition with some truly interested labels. So let’s take a journey together into the world of the best Japanese whiskies, scrolling through the ranking of labels to try now.

The ranking of the world’s best Japanese whiskey represents a major achievement for Japan, which for years has had a heated rivalry for the world’s best whiskeys with Scotland.
For purists, only Scotch whisky is the only one capable of being called such, the best of all, but recent international accolades have now established that Japanese whiskies are also of the highest quality. Let’s get to know them better then, these Japanese spirits.

Yamazaki

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Awarded as the best whiskey in the world, the Suntory Yamazaki Single Malt is a highly regarded peaty Japanese whiskey with a spicy and sweet flavor.
The price for a 25-year aged bottle is over 400 euros, much more if we are talking about a limited edition or even longer aging.

Hibiki

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From the scent of orange peel and white chocolate, Japanese whiskey Hibiki is among the best and most valuable produced in the country. Just think that a bottle of 30-year-old Hibiki is sold on Amazon for 4,380 euros (+ shipping); cheaper are, of course, “younger” bottles.

Read also: The most expensive whiskies in the world

Akashi

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Another among the Japanese liquors most famous is the whiskey Akashi. With a light and delicate aroma, this whiskey has full-bodied notes of cereals and yellow fruits accompanied by hints of honey.

Nikka Yoichi

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The Japanese whiskey Nikka Yoichi is one of Japan’s finest and most famous. Its color is amber with golden highlights, while the aroma is reminiscent of the oak barrels where it is put to age. Very intense are the hints of spices, pepper in particular, and then apple and apricot.

Hakushu

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Very unique is this distillate, a Japanese whiskey which also online is easily found. It is the Hakushu, a whiskey that right from its color does justice to its main ingredients and scents: peppermint, pine, cucumber, and melon, quite a bouquet, making this Japanese whiskey truly one of a kind.

Suntory Toki Whisky

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Also Suntory Toki Whisky falls under the ranking of the world’s best Japanese whiskies. The taste is pure and clean with notes of pear, spice, plum and vanilla.

Yamazakura

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The Japanese whiskey Yamazakura is among the best in the world; its name evokes the scent of cherry trees (sakura) and mountains (yama). Smells of fruit, vanilla and citrus the Yamazakura, but once tasted on the palate result notes of coconut, fruit and toast, with a slight accent of licorice. The finish is long, marked by hints of wood, spice and candied orange.

Chita

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Also the Japanese whiskey Chita falls into this special classification. With hints of pear, coconut and vanilla, this distillate is undoubtedly of high quality

Tenjaku

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Closing this ranking of the best Japanese whiskies is the Japanese whisky Tenjaku. Amber in color, it has a rounded, smooth taste with hints of pear, dried fruit and white oak and slightly smoky notes.