Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

New Japanese whisky rules aim to deter imposters

New Japanese whisky rules aim to deter imposters
This photo taken on March 27, 2023 shows samples of whisky at the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery where the company's whisky is produced, in the town of Yamazaki, between Kyoto and Osaka. (Photo by RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images

Japanese whisky is world-famous, often eye-wateringly expensive, and from Monday will be more strictly defined in an industry push to deter foreign-made imposters.

Overseas demand has soared in recent years for the country's acclaimed whiskies, sending prices sky-high, especially for the rarer aged varieties.


But concern and confusion have also grown among producers and customers as beverages made elsewhere - and sometimes not even whisky - are marketed as ‘Japanese whisky’.

So the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association has brought in a new definition for the spirit, officially in use from Monday following a three-year grace period.

To call their products Japanese whisky, makers must now use water sourced in Japan, and their whisky barrels must be stored in Japan for at least three years, among other rules.

Although violators will not face sanctions, manufacturers have hailed the new industry standard as a way to safeguard the image of their tipples worldwide.

"We believe this will further improve the reputation (of Japanese whisky) because it makes it easier for our international customers to distinguish it from other products," major producer Suntory told AFP.

Experts say Japan has around 100 distilleries, whose whisky has commanded increasing global respect since the early 2000s.

Annual exports of Japanese whisky were worth 56 billion yen (£293 million) in 2022 - 14 times more than a decade earlier. In 2023, this figure eased to 50 billion yen.

Brands such as Nikka Whisky's Yoichi 10 and Yamazaki 12 have scooped prestigious international awards, and distillers now plan production decades in advance to cope with demand.

Suntory's Hibiki 17 played a starring role in the hit 2003 movie Lost in Translation, in which the character played by Bill Murray promoted the drink with the line: "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time."

(AFP)

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less