New Labeling Rules Aim to Protect Japanese Whisky
The 2003 movie Lost in Translation may have woken some people up to the pleasures of Japanese whisky, but the current popularity of the country's whisky around the world is down to much more than just a 21-year-old film.
In the film, Bill Murray's character advertised Suntory's Hibiki 17, which the company said helped make its drink even more famous.
But now, business is booming, prices are rising, and according to Nikkei, lovers of the drink have been won over by the "high quality, exquisite craftsmanship and unique flavor profiles" of the Japanese version of the spirit.
The boom Japanese whisky is experiencing has led the country's association of spirit and liqueur makers to introduce rules to prevent foreign whiskies being marketed as Japanese.
The association brought in a new definition of Japanese whisky in 2021, but the rules have only been officially in use since April 1, 2024, after a three-year grace period.
According to the association, for a whisky to be called Japanese, it must use water sourced in Japan, and the whisky barrels must be stored in Japan for at least three years.
If a whisky doesn't meet these requirements, its labels shouldn't include anything that links it to Japan, including names of famous Japanese places, the country's flag or a name associated with Japan.
However, these are association rules, not laws, so any company breaking them is unlikely to face legal consequences.
But Suntory told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the new definition will help to "further improve the reputation" of Japanese whisky, and make it "easier for our international customers to distinguish it from other products."
According to AFP, Japanese whisky exports were worth a total of more than 100 billion yen — almost $700 million — from 2022 to 2023. The figures have grown significantly since the start of the century.
Whisky is thought to have originated in Scotland — or possibly Ireland — hundreds of years ago. The Japanese association says Japanese makers learned from the Scottish traditions a century ago, but established "a uniquely Japanese blending technique."
