nomunication.jp - tokyo bar & cocktail guide

27/01/2025

Tonight we look at the background of the newly formed Japanese Whisky Promotion Committee, whose goal is to create legal protection for the category. (warning: long read)

One of the significant steps forward for the Japanese whisky category within Japan in 2024 was the launch of the Japanese Whisky Promotion Committee. The primary goal of the Committee is simple: creating a legally enforceable definition of Japanese whisky in Japan. As I write this from Tokyo in Janu...

28/12/2024

The Japanese Whisky Distillery Tracker desperately needed an update, so update it I have! There are now a whopping 64 distilleries listed, when they came online, and how close they are to a first single malt release.

Japanese whisky’s rise to global acclaim began around 2008, with the Chichibu Distillery starting operation that same year. Since 2015 there has been a flurry of new entrants to the market. Old distilleries that were once dark have been revitalized and live again. t can be tough to keep track of e...

22/12/2024

A few of you have asked about upcoming events in Japan -- so I'm happy to announce the Japan Drinks Events calendar! I will be updating this regularly throughout the upcoming year.

By popular demand! A summary of upcoming whisky, spirits, and cocktail events in and around Tokyo. Want to add an event? Please contact me.

31/10/2024

Let's sit down and talk about how the Saburomaru Distillery is coming along. While drinking two of their single cask releases, of course.

Back in 2017, I named Toyama Prefecture’s Saburomaru Distillery one of the distilleries to watch in 2018/2019. And watch it we have. Let’s take a look at some of the latest offerings from this Toyama-based Japanese whisky distillery to see where things might be headed in the future. While we’v...

17/10/2024

This morning we're looking at how the recently announced Hong Kong import tariff cuts for spirits might impact Japanese whisky.

Historic news for Japanese whisky drinkers in Hong Kong, if not all of Asia, this week: Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced the liquor tax on imported spirits with 30% abv or higher and a price of over HKD$200 (~$26 USD) will be reduced from 100% to 10%. The significance of this cannot be und...

13/10/2024

A slightly dated overview of some of the changes we've seen at Japanese whisky distilleries over the past year.

Editor’s note: This article, written in April of this year, was intended to be part of a Japanese whisky supplement for Whisky Magazine. However, due to factors beyond my control, they did not publish the supplement. Because the rights have now returned to me, here’s the article in its entirety....

02/10/2024

I was interviewed for this piece in SevenFifty Daily on the mess that is Japanese whisky regulations, and how they might impact the US market for the category.

Stricter production standards for Japanese whisky are already shaking up the category, from established brands reclassifying SKUs as world whisky to a new influx of Japanese whiskies arriving…

18/09/2024

Two new members join the fray from Toyama's Saburomaru Distillery.

31/07/2024

Let's get this TWSC 2024 Awards Ceremony started!
I'll be presenting some awards for the Shochu Division from around 1:20PM.

09/07/2024

A quick look at two new releases from Nikka, celebrating the company's 90th anniversary

In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the company’s founding, Nikka Whisky has announced two new products to hit their lineup: The Nikka Nine Decades and Nikka Frontier. Let’s have a look. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve written about straight-up product releases, but this year is...

23/04/2024

World Whisky Forum 2024 happened at Komoro Distillery 小諸蒸留所 and I was there! My full write-up of the three-day, industry-focused conference.

The World Whisky Forum went to Asia and Japan for the first time last month, from February 19-21, 2024. Thanks to the extreme generosity of the hosts at the beautiful Komoro Distillery in Nagano, I had the privilege of attending the event as press. What is World Whisky Forum? It’s important to fir...

03/03/2024

A very eventful February was preceded by the Miyazaki Shochu Experience, a chance to hear shochu talks from the likes of and . And try some of their Miyazaki shochu-based cocktail recipes! Full event report link in bio.

If you want to try some of these shochus and cocktails yourself, drop by .shibuya this coming week for the Miyazaki Shochu Pop-Up Bar!

04/02/2024

Government numbers show Japanese whisky exports were down in 2023, ending a 15-year growth streak.

It’s official: yearly Japanese whisky exports have declined, ending a 15-year growth streak. New figures released this past week from Japan Customs shows the total volume of whisky exported from Japan in 2023 was 12.9 million liters, and the total value was just over 50 billion yen. That’s compa...

31/12/2023

My yearly look back, and yearly look forward. With a century now behind it, what's next for Japanese whisky?

This year’s closing statement will be a unique one, as Japanese whisky is officially now over a century old. 2023 Suntory celebrated 100 years since breaking ground at the Yamazaki Distillery, Japan’s first whisky distillery. While I had hopes for some kind of celebratory release, all we got was...