Whisky often evokes visions of aging casks carefully tended by bearded distillers in the misty Scottish highlands. After all, Scotch is nearly synonymous with single malts. But in the last century, Japanese distilleries have received worldwide renown for mastering the art of whisky.

Since the 1920s, Japanese distilleries have borrowed time-honored Scottish traditions, and others created a few of their own. Some are aged in casks made from mizunara oak or fermented with koji mold. As a result, Japanese whisky has become a solid choice for those looking to taste something new.

Dabbler Depot stocks an impressive selection of Japanese whisky—so many that we are showcasing them in our week-long Japanese whisky sale. To see which would reign supreme, we asked seven members of our Dabbler Depot team to complete a blind taste test of 6 whiskies that spanned a wide range of price points and distilling methods. The team tasted each consecutively and made their notes independently. Afterward, the group met to share thoughts and establish favorites before revealing the identities of the whiskies in the tasting. Here are the results!

The Field

Our field consisted of 6 Japanese whiskies—single malts, blended, and grain whiskies—with price points varying from $41.99 up to $159.99, including (in alphabetical order):

• Akashi Japanese Whisky
• Hibiki Japanese Harmony
• Kaiyo Whisky
• Ohishi Whisky Sherry Cask
• Takamine 8-Year Whisky
• Yamazaki 12-year Single Malt Whisky

Tasting Notes

Akashi Japanese Whisky • $41.99

Akashi Japanese Whisky is a big, robust affair that is malt-forward on the nose with a dose of smoke. Light roast coffee, French vanilla, and a bit of funk round out the dense-bodied sip. It finishes smoky and malty with a hint of candied orange peel. It delivers some prototypical Scotch attributes but perhaps comes across as a bit clunky with its fuller body. 

Kaiyo Whisky • $66.99

This one had our tasting panel split across lines of taste profiles. Kaiyo leads with a strong character of peat-and-smoke bolstered by more delicate aromas of green tea, jasmine, and orange peel. On the palate, it is fiercely dry and smoky with a deep earthy peat quality that was a pleaser for some and a turn-off for others. This whisky is a winner for fans of Talisker or Islay single malts that are punchy in flavor. 

Ohishi Whisky Sherry Cask • $59.99

This Japanese whisky from Ohishi was the only koji-fermented, rice-based whisky in the blind tasting. While it leads with toffee and warming spices like nutmeg and cloves on the nose, the whisky threw at least one taster for a loop with a savory, umami undertone on the palate that evoked nori paper. It is more challenging than many others in the tasting. While intriguing, other whiskies outscored it in the tasting. 

The Top 3 Japanese Whiskies

No. 3

Hibiki Japanese Harmony • $85.99

This delicate sipper from the whisky powerhouse Suntory was a crowdpleaser in our blind tasting. Hibiki Japanese Harmony seduced our tasting panel with its honey and orange blossom fragrance, and its light body and mellow, sweet character on the sip. With just the right amount of malt backbone and oaky presence to give it structure, this whisky is a masterclass of blending a super smooth dram. This is the perfect whisky for drinkers who don’t care to dip into the extremes of peat or smoke. Hibiki Japanese Harmony is a blend of several malt and grain whiskies from Suntory’s Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita distilleries. At $85.99, the refinement in this bottle totally justifies the price. 

No. 2

Yamazaki 12-year Single Malt Whisky • $159.99

It’s perhaps no surprise that the 12-year single malt from Yamazaki—which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023—ranked so highly. This touted Japanese whisky showcased a level of complexity only matched by our number-one whisky. Yamazaki 12-year draws you in with green tea, strawberry, lightly peated malt, and vanilla oakiness on the nose. On the sip, flavors of coconut, toffee, peat, and oak wash over the taste buds and finish with a bite of alcohol heat that warms all the way down. This fine single-malt whisky from Suntory’s Yamazaki distillery has gained an international following. The far greater depth of flavor and character in this whisky does come with a premium price tag of $159.99 at Dabbler Depot, although our panel all agree that the taste easily justifies its price point. 

No. 1

Takamine 8-Year Whisky • $99.99

Coming in at No. 1 in our Japanese whisky blind tasting is Takamine 8-year, and it takes just one sip to understand why. Takamine 8-year takes the complexity of the Yamazaki and perfectly melds it with the mellow, pleasing character of the Hibiki. On the nose, our tasting panel was met with a range of aromas that spanned a wide gamut. One taster noted soft floral fragrances, beeswax, vanilla, and orange zest. Another uncovered coconut and pineapple that evoked a piña colada—so much so, they quipped, “This is like if Jimmy Buffet made Japanese whisky!” Many of those flavors carry over to the sip and are balanced with a rich malt note, a tickle of spice, and a warming alcohol heat that finishes with a mild oakiness. What makes Takamine even more special is that it is a koji-fermented whisky—a process that undoubtedly adds further complexity. At just $99.99, Takamine 8-year is a steal of a whisky. It could easily compete with whiskies in the $160–$200 range.