Japan: Japanese whisky to be redefined in April to protect brand

Japan's alcohol industry in April will implement a new set of definitions for Japanese whisky as it endeavors to keep foreign-made spirits from being branded as Japanese, a trend that has set off alarms at the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association, the Nikkei Asia reported on March 25.

Clear criteria will be set on indigenous ingredients, production methods and other factors.

Japanese whisky must always use malted grains and be made from water extracted in Japan under the standards.

Production, aging and bottling must also be carried out in Japan. After production at a distillery, the product must be matured in Japan for at least three years and then be bottled with a strength of at least 40% alcohol. Products that fail to use this process will be barred from being branded as Japanese whisky.

With misleading labeling being rife, restrictions will be placed on the use of Japanese people, place and era names. Use of the Japanese flag will also be restricted.

Compared to Scotch and Canadian whisky as well as American and Irish whiskey, Japanese whisky has lacked clear definitions on country of origin, years of production and aging, and alcohol content. Some brands sold overseas do not legally qualify as whisky under Japanese liquor laws.

Three years ago, the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association, which had around 90 members as of last March, established labeling standards to protect the integrity of Japanese whisky amid customer confusion caused by foreign whiskey being sold as Japanese.

These standards, voluntary and not strongly binding, took transitionary effect in April 2021 and will be in full effect starting next month.

"Scotch and other whiskies overseas are regulated quite strictly, and this is a major standard for judging their value," said Masaki Morimoto, managing executive officer head of Spirits Company at Suntory. "Interest in Japanese whisky is rising abroad, and we don't want this to end as a passing boom. Rather, we think it is meaningful to solidify Japanese whisky as a category and make it permanent."

Japanese whisky often wins international awards and garners global praise. Taketsuru by Nikka Whisky Distilling, part of the Asahi group, won the World's Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2023. From 2016 to 2020, Suntory won consecutive crowns at the World Whiskies Awards with its Hakushu and Hibiki products.

Japanese whisky's export value, despite dipping in 2023, has been on an overall rising trend, surpassing 56 billion yen ($369.8 million) in 2022.

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