shortage of japanese whiskey


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i know some members do like japanese whiskey. 

you had perhaps better jump in soon.

i had a friend visit from japan recently and he brought a very fine bottle of scotch whisky that he picked up at the airport but he said that there was simply not a bottle of the japanese stuff available at the time. that did sound odd (he is most definitely not the sort to say that unless it were true). then i've seen these reports in the last few days. so bundled together are three items looking at the shortage.

 

SUNTORY IS STOPPING SALE OF TWO SINGLE MALT WHISKIES

17th May, 2018 by Natalie Wang

Japan’s leading beverage company Suntory will stop selling its single malt whisky ‘Hakushu 12 Years Old’ from June and its blended whisky ‘Hibiki 17 Years Old’ from September, due to surging demand at home and abroad that has outstripped the distillery’s production capacity.

This the latest sale suspension by the Japanese maker due to fervent consumer demand since 2016 when it halted sales of Kakubin Black Label 43 Degrees brand.

The whisky market in Japan experienced a renaissance since 2008, when distillers began pushing highballs – mixed whisky drinks among younger drinkers. However, Suntory, Japan’s first whisky maker, is now not able to meet growing demand, reported Kyodo News.

The distillery did not reveal when the sale would resume but stated the company is raising funds to increase production output, reported Nikkei.

It has added stills at its Yamazaki distillery in Shimamoto, Osaka Prefecture, and the Hakushu distillery in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture.

In addition, it’s also expanding its whisky storage and ageing cellar space.

In 2017, shipment volumes in Japan totalled 160,000 kiloliters, up 9% on the year and more than twice the level of 2008 when the market bottomed out, according to reports.

Globally, Japanese whisky has grown in popularity among whisky drinkers, and premium single malts made by distilleries such as Nikka and Karuizawa are among the most sought-after bottles among whisky enthusiasts.

 

 

Japanese whisky shortage triggers rush on remaining stock

Posted by: Alana House May 17, 2018

Japanese whisky fans are panicking following the news that there's a massive shortage of their favourite spirit.

Suntory Spirits has announced it will suspend sales of Hakushu 12, a single malt whisky, from June, while the popular blended Hibiki 17 will stop from September.

Hibiki 17 is the product Bill Murray’s character made famous in the 2003 movie Lost in Translation.

The announcement has already triggered a rush to buy remaining supplies, with Hibiki 17 already out of stock on some online outlets in the UK on Wednesday. 

In Australia, it's being rationed, with Dan Murphy's imposing bottle limits on some brands online, while many variants are out of stock. However, it is still offering home delivery on Hibiki 30-year-old for $4499 (with a bonus 50ml bottle of Hibiki 17!).   

The reason for the shortage goes back 20 years when, after decades of being out of favour, distilleries decided to cut their production.

However, around five years ago, Japanese whisky's fortunes were turned around by “Massan”, a television drama about Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky and founder of the Nikka distillery, which led to a domestic craze for whisky; together with Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 winning the Whisky Bible's Best In The World title.

The Hibiki 21-Year-Old has also received the award for the "World’s Best Blended Whisky" on five separate occasions at the World Whiskies Awards. 

Meanwhile, Japanese whisky is selling for huge prices at auction. In January, a bottle of 50-year-old Yamazaki went for around $300,000 at an auction by Sotheby's in Hong Kong.

Since 2013, Suntory has invested over $182 million into ramping up production. Stills have been added to both the Yamazaki and Hakushu sites and the company’s Ohmi Aging Cellar has undergone a large expansion. According to Suntory's PR team, an extra $80 million will be invested this year to expand the Hakushu aging facilities.

But distilleries say the shortage could last up to 10 years before aged supplies are sufficient again.

Sales of Japanese whisky increased 47.9% to 13.37 million 9-liter cases between 2011 and 2016, according to London-based industry research company IWSR. But the growth rate is expected to slow to 12.9% for the five years until 2021.

 

 

Why There’s a Japanese Whisky Shortage

There’s surging demand and limited supply of the most popular of the Japanese libations

By Jason Daley

SMITHSONIAN.COM 
MAY 16, 2018

Most people, even if they don’t drink, know that the world’s best whiskies and whiskeys come from Scotland, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ireland (sorry, Canada). But in the last decade, two new locations have been added to the best-of list: the Australian island Tasmania and Japan, which have both produced whisky judged the best in the world. But now, reports Justin McCurry at the Guardian, there’s a problem: the Japanese whisky barrel is running dry.

Or, at least, the most popular Japanese libations are in very short supply. The Suntory distillery is cutting the world off from its popular Hakushu 12-year-old single malt whisky next month and in September tipplers will have to say goodbye to the Hibiki 17-year-old blend, the product Bill Murray’s character advertises in the 2003 movie Lost in Translation.

Brian Ashcraft, author of a guide book to Japanese whisky, writes on Kotaku that the shortage can be attributed to several factors. First, “Massan” a 2014 television drama about Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky and founder of the Nikka distillery, led to a domestic craze for whisky. That same year, Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 won the title of best in the world from the Whisky Bible, raising the global profile of the Japanese libations.

But just as the world’s attention has shifted to the island nation’s award-winning drinks, supply of the whisky has tightened. That’s because 20 years ago, Japanese whisky was at a decades-long nadir of popularity, so distilleries didn’t set enough aside in their aging warehouses. Now, 12, 17 and 21 years later, there’s not enough aged whisky to go around. “For something like the Hibiki 17, the youngest whisky in that blend is 17 years old, and 17 years ago people weren’t drinking that much Japanese whisky, so Suntory and [rival distillery] Nikka weren’t making much,” Ashcraft tells McCurry.

These aren’t the first beloved Japanese whiskies to be pulled from shelves either. George Koutsakis at Forbes reports that Suntory pulled Hibiki 12-year-old whisky in 2015 and replaced it with a variety called Hibiki Harmony that has no age guarantee. The Nikka distillery has also discontinued its lines of ultra-aged whiskies, replacing them with un-aged varities. Ashcraft reports that the distilleries say the shortage could last up to 10 years before the tap is turned back on for these award-winning ultra-aged whiskies.

Unlike other hard liquors like vodka or tequila, which can be produced quickly and mixed into cocktails right away, whisky needs to be aged in barrels, a process that takes years. But it’s not necessary to wait 12 or 17 years—that’s for the really good stuff. Ashcraft says that even if aficionados can no longer get the best of the best whisky, there’s still good Japanese whisky to be had. “While Suntory and Nikka are experiencing shortages, a handful of newer distilleries have started distilling in Japan,” he tells McCurry. “Their whiskies might be young, but they’re taking creative approaches that will, no doubt, help further define Japanese whisky.”

If you plan to stock up, make sure you have some extra cash set aside. Hibiki 17 is currently selling for $200 a bottle, while Hakushu 12 is marketed at the (comparable) bargain price of $66. Kanpai!

 

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My favorite Nikka (not an ultra-aged either) isn't even available. :(   Guess I'll have to switch to rum! :P 

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Life goes on. Japanese whiskey is pretty good but I would never pay these prices. Lots of other good juice available.

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Recent trip to Europe had us sipping Yamakaze in our hotel cigar bar. Love that stuff! Will try to find a bottle sometime on our travels or online. I seem to remember it was made from Bowmore or something like that. Sorry if I am wrong.

Bartenders now bring you tastes of two or three and then serve up the one you choose. Even in our town bars here north of Toronto.

CB

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Love Japanese whiskey ? 

have some but not much good stuff left just bought The Hibikki 17!year old not as good as the 21 but will have to make do. stretched out the 21 for a couple of years but along with the Yamasaki 18 

as if cigars being out of reach in this country wasn’t enough ?

it would seem The Japanese are victims of their own success 

cheers 

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Hibikki 17!has officially been discontinued 

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It's been happening for a while. I had to really search for my bottle of Hakushu 12 in February 2017, and last October, all I ever saw were minis of the Yamazaki 12 and Hakushu 12.

Even worse was my favourite Japanese malt, Chichibu.  None to be found in any store. I even visited the distillery.....and couldn't even buy it there! :shead:

At least I got a bottle of Hakushu 12.... :blink:

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