Pioneers of the single blend

There are times in life when the gravitas of a certain situation, phenomena or experience is only fully realised after the fact. Times like last year, for instance, when the first ever legal standards defining ‘Japanese whisky’ were introduced by the Japan Spirit & Liqueurs Makers Association (JSLMA). While it might have been an open secret amongst connoisseurs for years, the fact that not all whisky labelled ‘Japanese’ is necessarily Japanese in origin undoubtedly came as a big surprise to many consumers.

It’s important to note that the new labelling standards only apply to members of the JSLMA – which, admittedly, includes most of the country’s major whisky producers. Thus, while several household names have now publicly acknowledged that some of their products don’t comply with the new labelling standards and therefore cannot be called ‘Japanese whisky’, other, more exploitive, players will continue to eschew such transparency and embrace ambiguity.

Needless to say, the introduction of the