Beyond Sake: The Best Japanese Whiskies

pWhiskies from Japan have been popular for a while now. However, they really drew attention after the Yamazaki Sherry Cask was awarded the World Whisky of the Year title by Jim Murray last year./p pandnbsp;/p p"Japanese whiskies offer another dimension of complexity, and the bottles almost always look beautiful," says Mumbai-based Nikhil Agarwal, CEO and Sommelier at the wine and spirits consultancy All Things Nice. "In fact, one of the best single malts I've had is from Japan. It is the Yoichi 12 YO 70th Anniversary. I'd want one simply for the engraving on the bottle." On his list feature Yoichi 12 YO 70th Anniversary, Yamazaki 18YO, Hakushu 18YO, and Kuruizawa 1979 24 YO whiskies./p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p pandnbsp;/p p"It is never about the age, when it comes to an exceptional whisky," says Delhi-based Magandeep Singh, India's first French-qualified sommelier and spirit expert, "But in the case of tropical countries like Japan, I prefer whiskies that have aged well. Everyone talks about the popular labels from the country, but I prefer Mars Komagatake Maltage 10 YO as it has more complexity compared to the other ones. Due to the weather, the whiskies in Japan lose quite a bit of the spirit to the angel's share, (the percentage of whisky that evaporates from the barrel during maturation), making them extremely rare." He picks Mars Komagatake Maltage, Nikka Taketsuru 17YO, Nikka From The Barrel, and White Oak Akashi as his favourites./p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p pandnbsp;/p pDelhi-based Sandeep Arora, Director, Spiritual Luxury Living, spirits and whisky management company, says that these spirits are equally appreciated in varied styles, for instance, the single malt whisky is popular but the grain, blended and peats are all loved across the globe. He says, "What I love about Japanese whiskies is that they are soft and mellow to taste, but they can also be robust and intense on the palate. This covers a spectrum of flavours compared to the Scottish ones that have a classic taste. They are the most balanced spirits across the globe, which means that they don't develop erratic flavours in the long run, making for a good collector's item. And they can be paired with food just like wine." He further adds, "Japanese whiskies are married with natural elements such as the seasons, weather, and natural terrain, bringing the most exclusive flavours to them. For instance, the Fuji-Gotemba is developed at the foot of Mt. Fuji, while Hakushu is made deep in the mountain forest at Mt. Kaikomagatake." He recommends Yamazaki 25YO, Hibiki 21 YO, Nikka Coffey Grain, and The Fuji-Gotemba Grain./p pandnbsp;/p p style="text-align: center;"/p pandnbsp;/p pNow that the experts have spoken, make sure you add these covetable Japanese whiskies to your collection./p pandnbsp;/p pemImage Courtesy: Thinkstock/em/p pandnbsp;/p pstrongMore On andgt;andgt; a href="http://www.luxpresso.com/lifestyle/food-drink" target="_blank"Food andamp; Drinks/a/strong/p

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