Late last year, spirits critic Jim Murray named a Japanese whisky from Yamazaki “the best in the world,” with the implication that Japanese whisky is competing with the heavyweights of Scotch. Will Lyons, writing for the The Wall Street Journal prefers to think that each spirit should be considered in relation to its own category, but does agree that Japanese whisky is, indeed, having a moment in the sun.
Recounting the tale of Masataka Taketsuru, a whisky distiller who gained his knowledge while studying organic chemistry in Scotland in 1918 and eventually started Yamazaki and Yoichi, Lyons observes the influence that Scotland continues to extend upon the Asian style, and—after a tasting—admits that some Scotches and Japanese whiskies are incredibly similar. But of course, he appreciates them equally and decides that the latter are worth a second look when in search of whisky worth drinking. [The Wall Street Journal] [Image: Flickr/macglee]