Japanese Whiskey Reviews — Expert Ratings & Tasting Notes

92 reviews found

Single Malt

Chichibu The Peated 2018

Ichiro Akuto's annual peated release from the tiny Chichibu distillery in Saitama — heavily peated Japanese malt with an...

Buy £199.00 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

8.2 Review

Blended

Akashi White Oak

From Eigashima Shuzo's tiny White Oak distillery on the Akashi coast — Japan's oldest licensed whisky maker, granted its...

Buy £28.96 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

8.5 Review

Single Malt

Mars Komagatake Single Malt

Named for the 2,956-metre peak that towers above the distillery, Mars Komagatake is a single malt shaped by the cold, cl...

Buy £127.08 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

8.6 Review

Single Grain

Chita Single Grain: The Quiet Heart of Hibiki Bottled Solo

The grain distillery that quietly powers Hibiki, finally bottled solo — light, honeyed and astonishingly elegant.

Buy £43.95 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

Suntory Toki: Yamazaki, Hakushu & Chita Marriage Built for the Highball - Japanese Review

8.5 Review

Blended

Suntory Toki: Yamazaki, Hakushu & Chita Marriage Built for the Highball

Suntory's modern blend uniting Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita — built from the ground up for the Japanese highball and name...

Buy £35.60 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

Hakushu Distiller's Reserve: Lightly Peated Mountain NAS Highball Champion - Japanese Review

8.7 Review

Single Malt

Hakushu Distiller's Reserve: Lightly Peated Mountain NAS Highball Champion

The NAS Hakushu — fresher, greener and a touch smokier than the 12, and arguably the finest highball whisky on Earth.

Buy £69.95 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

Hakushu 12: Forest Whisky from the Southern Japanese Alps at 700m - Japanese Review

9.1 Review

Single Malt

Hakushu 12: Forest Whisky from the Southern Japanese Alps at 700m

Suntory's mountain malt — lightly peated, granite-water fresh, and tasting like a walk through a Japanese cedar forest a...

Buy £149.95 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve: Shinji Fukuyo's Bordeaux-Sherry-Mizunara NAS - Japanese Review

8.8 Review

Single Malt

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve: Shinji Fukuyo's Bordeaux-Sherry-Mizunara NAS

Shinji Fukuyo's NAS answer to soaring Yamazaki demand — a sherry-forward, mizunara-kissed Yamazaki built for the modern ...

Buy £74.95 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

9.2 Review

Single Malt

Yamazaki 12: Suntory's Mizunara-Touched 1984 Single Malt That Changed the World

The 1984 release that proved Japan could match Scotland — the mizunara-touched malt that won ISC Gold and changed global...

Buy £139.95 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

Kaiyo Mizunara Oak: Japanese Whisky Cradled in Rare Sandalwood-Scented Wood - Japanese Review

8.6 Review

Blended

Kaiyo Mizunara Oak: Japanese Whisky Cradled in Rare Sandalwood-Scented Wood

Mizunara-matured Japanese malt finished by a sea voyage — incense, sandalwood and salted honey.

Buy £77.50 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

Chichibu The Peated: Ichiro Akuto's Saitama Smoke Masterclass - Japanese Review

9.2 Review

Single Malt

Chichibu The Peated: Ichiro Akuto's Saitama Smoke Masterclass

Ichiro Akuto's tiny Saitama distillery turning out some of the most coveted peated whisky on Earth — and it absolutely l...

Buy £299.00 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026

Mars Komagatake: Whisky from Japan's Highest 798m Alpine Distillery - Japanese Review

8.8 Review

Single Malt

Mars Komagatake: Whisky from Japan's Highest 798m Alpine Distillery

From Japan's highest distillery, named for the 2,956m peak that towers above it — alpine, fruity and quietly brilliant.

Buy £127.08 Review

Ash Carrington April 10, 2026