We're just over the 100th anniversary of Japanese whisky's creation that started with the founding of Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery, which began producing Japan's first ever whisky and incredibly is today bigger and more successful than ever before! Yet, even more amazing is the fact that in the 100 years that followed, through the times and tide, Japan's whisky landscape has emerged more lively and vibrant than ever, with now a whole new generation of craft distillers emerged and most importantly, producing world class whiskies.

As they say, a rising tide floats all boats, and so even as Japanese whisky celebrates its 100th anniversary, its clear that even its most passionate and ardent champions and ambassadors aren't ready to rest on their laurels and are more determined than ever to push ahead, both by doing their best individually and also collaborating with their peers to raising industry-wide standards, all in an ultimate bid to wave proudly the banner that is Japanese whisky. If Japanese whisky as a category is synonymous with the best quality, then everyone's a winner!

 

 

At Whisky Journey 2025 in Singapore, five of Japanese whisky's most illustrious folks came together for a panel to discuss the Future of Japanese Whisky. Moderated by Singapore's favourite veteran actor Allan Wu, the panel consisted of the House of Suntory's Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo, Fuji Distillery's Master Blender Jota Tanaka, Chichibu Distillery's (Venture Whisky) Global Brand Ambassador Yumi Yoshikawa, Kanosuke Distillery's Founder Yoshitsugu Komasa, and Nikka Whisky's Senior Blender (and former Chief Blender) Hiromi Ozaki.

And to go along with the panel, the audience was presented with a selection of drams from each distillery, showcasing not just the representative style and character of the whiskies made by each brand, but also the overall diversity of Japanese whiskies - yet all united in their commitment to the same high standards for quality!

 

Left to Right: Kanosuke ex-Shochu Recharred Cask Component Sample (5 Year Old, 100% Ex-Shochu); Kirin Single Grain Fuji Japanese Whiskey 50th Anniversary Edition; Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt (Blend of New American Oak, Sherry, Virgin Oak, Mizunara, Similar Profile to Miyagikyo Aromatic Yeast 2022); Chichibu (Venture) 6 Year Old Mizunara Single Cask (Local Mizunara, Local Barley); Suntory Yamazaki 12 Year Old 100% Mizunara Component Sample.

Tasting the whisky samples from the respective distilleries, I found them briefly as such:

Kanosuke: Intense, lively, with characteristic Kanosuke notes of caramel, custard pudding, cinnamon and tortoiseshell candy. Touch of yellow banana, candied quince and wafts of campfire smoke. Great richness and vibrance. 

Kirin/Fuji: Mellow and rich, with a broad yet supple profile that came across Bourbon-esque. Brown sugar, custard, red apples, plums and prunes, vanilla cream. Velvety and luscious.

Nikka/Miyagikyo: Rich and sherried, with juicy and darker tones of earthiness of tobacco and leather, with also stewed and dried plums and prunes. Aromatic mint, with a lingering sweetness. Great depth.

Venture/Chichibu: Super floral and fruity, it's bright and glistening with maltose, red and green apples. Oily, with caramel filling the body, mint, lemon cake, orange blossom, potpourri, with lychee cream cake and rose petals.

Suntory/Yamazaki: Complex, layered, delicate and elegant. Vibrant orchard fruit with light touch of coconut, temple incense, with a progression to smoked meat with a coastal influence towards the finish.

Each whisky could not have been more different from the next, each with a well defined style, exuding polish and intentionality. They were all incredibly tasty and at the same time so distinctive!

 

 

Now without further ado, here are X things I learnt from the Future of Japanese Whisky Panel!

1. Japan’s Nature Serves As The Inspiration, Whilst Consumers Shape The Final Outcome

Both Suntory's Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo and Fuji Whisky's Master Blender Jota Tanaka asserted that Japan's bountiful nature, including its pristine waters and unique climate, serve as inspiration for the whiskies of the respective distilleries, with Fuji Whisky desiring to embody the very purity that Mount Fuji is famous for, and thus endeavours to produce a whisky that is clean and estery in aromatics, whilst at the same time delivering layers and nuance, steering away from an otherwise emphasis on the use of cask finishings that might conceal Fuji whisky's flavours. Fukuyo-san even goes as far as to say that having made whiskies for over a century within the context of Japan, the fact is that Japan's nature is inextricably linked to Suntory's house style. 

Yet even as distilleries may sought to focus on a particular house style or may simply want to concentrate squarely on the art of whiskymaking, the reality is that consumers have a big role to play as well. Fukuyo-san (Suntory) is constantly reminded of how in the earliest days of Suntory, the reality was that the Japanese market had rejected the company's whiskies, as consumers in the 1920's had not yet had a taste for whisky's flavours and aromas. Suntory was then only able to survive by quickly figuring out what a suitable flavour profile was that would be desired by Japanese consumers. And so consumer preferences are an undeniably powerful force in the creation of Japanese whiskies as we know it today.

 

Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery represents the creation of the Japanese whisky industry.

 

2. Whisky May Be International But Uniqueness Is Local

Kanosuke Distillery has been nothing short of Japan's rising star of its new generation of whiskymakers, and a good deal of that success can certainly be attributed to the uniqueness of its whisky. Kanosuke Distillery's Founder and Master Blender Yoshitsugu Komasa thus explains that the distillery's uniqueness comes in fact from its heritage. Komasa Jyozo, Kanosuke's parent company, was first and foremost best known for pioneering barrel aged Shochu, known as Mellowed Kozuru. As such, Kanosuke wishes to draw from that heritage and thus makes much use of ex-Shochu casks in its whiskymaking which in turn allows the distillery to have a very unique DNA. And thus the family's distilling in fact goes back 140 years, with the high point being Komasa-san's grandfather Kanosuke Komasa having first started making cask-aged Shochu in 1957, which is today the source of Kanosuke's own ex-Shochu casks which is used to make its unique ex-Shochu aged whisky. The distillery's motivation is thus to make whisky - the global language of spirits - that is built on Komasa's Shochu heritage.

 

Kanosuke Distillery in Kagoshima.

 

Beyond its heritage, Kanosuke also resides in the south of Japan in the hot and almost tropical climate of Kagoshima Prefecture, which also gives Kanosuke a unique ageing environment for its whiskies where the angel's share is much higher at 6-8%. With also its warehouses close to the beach, the distillery allows the sea breeze to influence maturation and shape a unique flavour profile in Kanosuke's whiskies as well. As such, Komasa-san reiterates that even with the utmost respect for whiskymakers around the world, Japanese whiskymakers can find their place by making whiskies with sincerity and respect for their own heritage and history.

 

Chichibu's founder, distiller and blender Ichiro Akuto surveys locally Japanese grown Mizunara oak.

 

3. Local Is A Means, Not An End

The concept of expressing locality is of course a popular theme with whiskies and in particular Japanese whiskies, with the handful Japanese whiskies made with local barley, peat and wood drawing much attention. Yet in reality, the use of local ingredients serves primarily as a means not an end in and of itself, and certainly should never take precedence over quality, as the various panelists all vouch for. Komasa-san (Kanosuke) expressed that whilst using local ingredients indeed has the ability to better capture and reflect the environment of its region, it also serves an additional purpose of helping promote Kagoshima as a region. Nikka's Ozaki-san further underscores the belief that whilst Nikka too uses some local ingredients, that the distillery nevertheless is more concerned about what the ingredient can do and the quality it can deliver than whether it is local or not. 

 

Nikka once started out like as a Japanese apple juice producer, but whose founder Masataka Taketsuru is largely credited as the Father of Japanese whisky. Pictured is Miyagikyo Distillery's various pot stills.

  

4. Scarcity Breeds Resourcefulness And Therefore Capability

Nikka Senior Blender Hiromi Ozaki brings up a historical aspect of the Japanese whisky landscape - that traditionally Japanese whisky distillers have had to largely rely on themselves and as a result seldom engage in the trading of casks. For a market that greatly appreciates a good blend, this has meant that enduring distilleries have had to find ways to be resourceful in getting their hands on a wide palette of whisky styles that then serve as components. Pointing to the Miyagikyo sample poured for attendees of the panel, Ozaki-san says that in just this one whisky is about 20 different cask types, ranging from new American Oak to Sherry casks, Virgin Oak and Mizunara, which demonstrate the wide breadth of whiskies that Nikka has innovated to be able to produce, which cannot be necessarily said for whisky producers outside of Japan. This in turn also therefore allows Nikka to offer a spectacular diversity of whiskies across its wide ranging products, which can then speak out to the preferences of numerous customers. Suntory's Fukuyo-san and Fuji's Tanaka-san concurs and agrees that the entire creative process starts with and therefore rests on a company's ability to create a wide array of whiskies, which then allows the blenders to think in terms of components, how to assemble them and even whether or not the final product ought to be a single malt or blend.

Tanaka-san adds that it is important to quash any talk that just because the different distilleries and companies do not swap whiskies, that they are not on friendly terms. To his mind, even though the distillers from various companies may be friends, they have each refined to precision their own methods of whiskymaking that allows them to systematically create their own unique styles of whisky. Where they then come together is with regards to sharing information, learning from each other, upholding the high qualities of whiskymaking and promoting industry-wide transparency.

 

Sitting just a short distance from Mount Fuji, Kirin's Fuji Distillery lays claim to producing the first single blended Japanese whisky, and is one of only a small handful of distilleries in the world that can produce both malt and grain whiskies in a single distillery.

 

5. It's Quality First, Everything Else Second

Whilst taste and preferences may change with time, it is not wise to only chase what is fashionable, and instead it would be most prudent to focus on quality first, says Fukuyo-san. Given Suntory's more than 100 years of whiskymaking, it's certainly seen good and bad times, and yet has always opted to simply focus on raising quality through process innovation and improved raw ingredients. Few are thus aware that at the Yamazaki Distillery, a little pilot distillery was established in 1968, capable of only processing 500 kilograms per batch (half the size of even most craft distilleries), which allowed Suntory to quickly experiment and gain experience. This in turn led to an overarching adherence to Japanese craftsmanship that has seen continuous refinement in Suntory's style through its raw materials and processes.

Highlighting the Japanese ethos of Kaizen, or continuous improvement, as well as Monozukuri, the attention to detail and precision that is emblematic of Japanese craftsmanship, Fukuyo-san (Suntory) puts things into perspective by stating that even with now just over 100 years of whiskymaking activity, Suntory is still very young compared to Scotland or America, both of whom have a far longer history of whiskymaking. As such, it is never lost on Suntory that it cannot afford to ever stay in the same position and that no one is ever complacent or satisfied with the current quality and variety, with therefore the entire team feeling a constant desire to do better than before. Where Japanese whiskies can excel and find an ever brighter future is therefore from a mindset of constantly searching for quality enhancements and character improvement, with meticulousness being their superpower. Kanosuke's Komasa-san adds that even with 140 years of making Shochu and today whisky, his family's business has always viewed their goals as being long ranging and even transferrable so long as the right qualities are pursued, regardless of the category of drinks being made.

 

From Shochu making to whiskymaking, Kanosuke has sought to constantly reinvent itself.

 

Tanaka-san (Fuji) says that this constant desire for improvement is in fact second nature in Japan and serves as the people's bedrock of motivation, "it's like a whisky lover - once you pour whisky into a glass, without thinking, you start to swirl it. It's automatic. We're always trying to create; to improve. It becomes a habit." Nikka's Ozaki-san agrees in saying that this philosophy of constant improvement is a core part of the Japanese spirit, and that it isn't even something that one has to consciously think about everyday, "it's just part of who we are". 

Chichibu's Yumi-san goes on to reference her recent experience in Jakarta, touting that everything is moving so fast and everybody is in pursuit of doing better - just being stead is not good enough! "We have to make it better, then try again and again. That's what we learnt from the past, and that's what we must pass on to the future" says Yumi-san.

 

Nikka's Yoichi Distillery remains one of few remaining that relies on direct coal firing, creating a particularly robust whisky.

 

6. Diversity Is Great, But Also Not The End Goal

As each distillery has its own background, expertise and ideal flavour profile, this has in turn created a sense of diversity in the eyes of its fans, yet at the same time Nikka's Ozaki-san is quick to point out that the goal is nevertheless not to create variety for the sake of it, but to simply pursue the creation of what is delicious and of high quality - diversity is therefore simply a byproduct of continuous experimentation and learning. Fuji's Tanaka-san gives the example of how Fuji keeps its core line-up and signature flavour profile tight and consistent through the past 50 years, even though it has experimented with different yeasts, mashbills and continuously sought to improve its wood selection, yet brings it back down to earth by once again underscoring how this wide diversity of whiskies produced ultimately are but components that then help to bolster the Fuji house style, and in so doing, allows the distillery to better understand and improve its fermentation and distillation processes.

Suntory's Fukuyo-san is also in strong agreement, reminding us that everything starts with the end goal in mind, that is what the intended role of the whisky being made is, and therefore what the appropriate style should be. It is from this basis that producers then work backwards to producing a diverse range of components, and not the other way around! Fukuyo-san goes on to illustrate that even though Suntory uses a range of casks, from Sherry to Mizunara and American White Oak, the goal is simply to offer themselves a wide palette to draw from - even the renowned Hibiki blend aside, Fukuyo-san points out that the Yamazaki 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old and 25 Year Old are all still built similarly, through the blending of various Yamazaki components. 

 

Yamazaki's famous hallway featuring just a fraction of its full library of whisky components.

 

Kanosuke's Komasa-san further reflects that diversity itself is almost an inevitability given that each distillery operates within a different climate along Japan's longitude that offers large differences in temperature, humidity and environment, and thus even the simple act of operating for example within the tropical and coastal environment of Kagoshima, Kanosuke would already be expanding the range of Japan's whisky flavours - and so diversity need not be a deliberate pursuit. Suntory's Fukuyo-san talks of how floor malting was reintroduced to Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries, an old technique that has been revived in a bid to improve the quality of the whisky, and yet by tweaking the whiskymaking process even if it is for the sake of improving quality, would itself naturally bring about new variety. And so for Fukuyo-san, "we must first make good, delicious whisky, and perhaps diversity comes from that."

Tanaka-san (Fuji) offers up a different interpretation of diversity, explaining that what he really wants to achieve is to make whisky that inspires, and perhaps that could come from producing new profiles of whiskies - and yet these new varieties have to come from what a place of inspiration and not diversity as a goal itself. Yumi-san from Chichibu thus reiterates that quality is what matters most, and that fans can at festivals already enjoy a wide variety of whiskies which is a better definition of diversity than what any individual distillery can offer - this she calls "good diversity".

 

With its unique founding story, Kirin's Fuji Distillery has perhaps one of the rarest and more unique collection of stills to be found in one place anywhere in the world, allowing it to produce a variety of grain whisky styles.

  

7. Japanese Whisky Is Not Better, It's Just Different

With the fervor that surrounds Japanese whisky, it's easy to conveniently assume that Japanese whisky must therefore necessarily be "better" than all other whiskies - that could not be further from the truth, as far as the panelists were concerned. "We want to stress that we [speaking on behalf of the Japanese distillers in attendance] do not believe that Japanese whisky is better than everyone else's -- there is no "better"," says Fuji's Tanaka-san. He goes on to emphasise that each distiller simply wants to put integrity and sincerity at the center of their work, and to protect their cherished industry with over 100 years of history. This again comes back to how transparency [and quality] is really top of mind for the Japanese distillers, who Tanaka-san once again mentions care most deeply about setting clear definitions and standards for Japanese whiskymaking, and want to see more transparency and openness.

 

Chichibu has recently debuted its first whiskies from its second distillery, and will have a third grain whisky distillery up and running soon.

 

To that end, Fukuyo-san (Suntory) brings up a fun fact - that in 2001, Whisky Magazine had held a "Best of Best" blind tasting, where the Yoichi 10 Year Old Single Malt would rank number one, with the Hibiki 21 Year Old coming in number two - the difference between the two scores was a mere 0.04 points! Fukuyo-san thus used the event as an example of how the fact that the tasting was conducted blind is indicative of how quality is universal and not limited to one single country. Tanaka-san adds that Japanese distillers must not fall prey to looking inwards, and instead must constantly remember to observe what others are doing, draw from those differences and learn from them. Yumi-san too believes that this embracing of differences in whisky styles is what makes Japanese distillers have great flexibility, where they are able to learn from whiskymakers all over the world and combine them, thereby producing everything from single malt whiskies to Japanese blended whisky and even World blended whiskies! For Yumi-san, "whisky is not just whisky; it's a playground for imagination. You can dream about the future and use flexibility to create new styles."

 

Nikka's iconic Whisky From The Barrel celebrates its 40th anniversary!

 

8. Export Is Great But Also Difficult To Nail

It's undeniable that since the early 2000's, global demand for Japanese whiskies has skyrocketed, yet as great as it may be, it's also been challenging given how much it came as a surprise and that whiskies cannot age any faster than they already do. On the one hand, Kanosuke's Komasa-san praises export's importance in spreading an appreciation for Japanese culture and therefore whiskies, and that this can thus create a powerful virtuous cycle in other areas such as tourism, yet on the other hand, Nikka's Ozaki-san is no stranger to the growing pains of surging demand, and expressed that unfortunately due to Nikka's limited stock, it has found it difficult to supply this demand. 

 

Kanosuke's use of its own ex-Shochu barrels brings its 140 year heritage to the forefront.

 

9. There Are The Exactly Correct Number Of Japanese Distilleries

As Japanese whiskies continue to become widely appreciated around the world, over a hundred new producers have joined the fray. This has led to talk of how a glut may soon form, or might even already be here. By extension, this has also caused many to wonder about the quality of Japanese whiskies as the industry has expanded with such intensity. Tanaka-san (Fuji) first illustrates that just 15 years ago, there were less than 10 distilleries in Japan; today there are over 120, with a view that this number could even hit 200 [distilleries]. The number is admittedly high, but the number itself is not particularly important, what is more crucial is whether these new distilleries can operate with integrity, long-term vision and realism, and remain committed to pursuing quality over decades, without being tempted to jump onto trends.

Yumi-san (Chichibu) agrees and states that numbers in and of themselves don't mean anything, stating that "whether you have 10 producers or 120 producers - the number itself doesn't matter". What is instead important as far as Yumi-san is concerned is that producers have to keep up with consumers' expectations, going further to say "if we can have 100 really good whisky distilleries in Japan, that will positively impact the image of the industry".

"We're not just competitors, we have to help each other. Big or small, if we can support each other and keep standards high, the industry improves," says Yumi-san.

 

Fuji Whisky has undeniably mastered the art of the single grain.

  

Tanaka-san (Fuji) goes on to add that there is much to be learnt from each other, and that the art and science of making whisky is not simple, yet "as long as Japan continues with integrity and craftsmanship to make unique whisky, we will be fine. Being creative is important, but we cannot deceive or mislead. As long as distilleries make whisky that way, they're welcomed".

Yumi-san concludes by saying that all of this growth in distillery numbers is simply part and parcel of the development process not unlike other industries. Ultimately, the number of players may go up and will eventually settle, before going up again. Currently Japanese whisky is in a peak phase, and it is more than likely that 5-10 years from now, the number might come down before eventually rising again; "you can't drink whisky from 120 Japanese distilleries every year, plus Scotch, American, and so on. Everyone can be making good whiskies but it is just a cycle and some will naturally disappear - it's a natural process". 

 

Chichibu continues to forge ahead with grand ambitions.

 

10. Japanese Whisky Prices Are Fair Value As Far As Distilleries Can Control

To that end, Yumi-san addresses the hot button topic of Japanese whisky's at times high prices, saying that Japanese whisky is neither expensive nor cheap - it just depends how you look at it. She explains that the evaluation of price is first and foremost subjective, and that consumers should also consider the decades of effort and meticulousness put into producing these whiskies. "Some might think Japanese whisky is too expensive, whilst others might think it's too cheap for the quality. What is most important is ultimately that wherever the price is, that the quality must reach or exceed that level - the whisky must be better than the price suggests. That is what is important for distilleries." says Yumi-san.

Tanaka-san (Fuji) further adds that some of this pricing distortion is the work of the secondary market which producers cannot control, and may muddy the fact that these whiskies are in instances properly matured and long-aged, and would be in his opinion be good value when the cost of making the whisky is properly considered. He then points to new distilleries who at times may be selling a 3 year old whisky at an already high price, and explains that the price point is nevertheless a combination of a multitude of factors such as small production, hype and speculation - and so whilst some factors can be attributed to the producer, others may be out of their control.

 

Suntory continues to raise the bar for Japanese whiskies, bringing us into unknown territory with the most well-aged whiskies in the country.

 

11. Being Uniquely Japanese Is The Only Way To Survive And Succeed

Whilst each distillery has carved for themselves their own interpretation of uniqueness, each panelist concedes that the best strategy is to play to each of their own strengths, whilst also adhering to high standards. Kanosuke's Komasa-san mentions that beyond the backbone of ex-Shochu casks, the distillery has three pot stills each with different shapes and lyne arms which offers the ability for Kanosuke to produce three distinct spirit characters which can then be blended in a multitude of ways that further allows Kanosuke to make a very distinct whisky. More recently, Kanosuke's second distillery, Hioki Distillery has also begun producing a unique Japanese pot still whisky that is not being made elsewhere in Japan, which highlights how innovation allows Kanosuke to pursue styles that go beyond Scotch of American whiskies, and to deliver something truly unique.

Fuji Distillery's Tanaka-san also points out that given his distillery's historical founding as a joint-venture between Kirin, Seagram and Chivas Brothers, as well as its unique ability to produce both malt and grain whiskies in the same distillery, the goal then was to move beyond traditional whisky styles, where today that "clean and estery" Fuji whisky profile has become the distillery's signature. Fuji has thus stuck by this unique style since Day 1 and has remained committed to the style ever since.

 

The new Japanese Whisky mark of authenticity.

 

12. Transparency Remains The Biggest Challenge

As Japanese whisky demand boomed, so did the incentives grow tremendously for bad actors who've found ever more creative ways to pass off foreign whiskies for authentic Japanese whiskies.

"We're very concerned. The Japanese whisky brand is being damaged, more than we expected. But the important thing is that we're not just sitting here worried. We're working together, even if we're each from different companies - the company doesn't matter, we're all in the same industry! So we must take action together to make the situation better than before!" says Yumi-san.

Fuji's Tanaka-san goes on to further detail how in many shops outside of Japan, you could easily find many ambiguous bottles that are not authentically made Japanese whiskies passing themselves off in the "Japanese Whisky" section - according to Tanaka-san some of these "whiskies" are not even whiskies, and are in fact other types of liquor! Chichibu's Yumi Yoshikawa thus delves into how 5-6 years ago, several committed Japanese whiskymakers have since sought to no longer stand on the sidelines, but to take serious action against these bad actors. Under the auspices of the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association (JLSMA), these producers have since worked to register "Japanese Whisky" as a recognised Geographical Indication (GI), which will help to strengthen labelling requirements and in fact make regulations legally enforceable.

 

 

At present, the Japanese definition of "Japanese Whisky" under the GI system is nevertheless only automatically applicable in countries that fall within certain international agreements - this is of great concern to these committed Japanese whisky producers who are thus working to ensure that the rules are legally recognised and protected more widely. Tanaka-san concludes with announcing that from 2024 onwards, the "JW" mark (surrounded by the text "Japan Whisky" and "JSLMA"; the logo has been trademarked in Japan and is in the process of being trademarked in other countries) will serve as a new logo that can be found on the labels of authentic Japanese whiskies, which will hopefully serve to make them more recognisable, and help consumers easily and confidently identify legitimate Japanese whiskies that adhere to the new standards.

Further illustrating the point, Yumi-san points to the Chichibu sample offered to the panel's attendees, emphasising that as Japanese whisky continues to develop as a category, it's become incredibly important to think about what exactly is Japanese whisky. The definition has to be both meaningfully different from existing definitions for other categories of whiskies, whilst also sufficiently encompassing of the different backgrounds, styles and methods of each Japanese distillery that works hard to make authentic Japanese whisky. And so, boiling it down to its core, Japanese whisky must first and foremost necessarily come from Japan - that is, fermented, distilled and aged in Japan. To that end, Yumi-san points out that all of that information about what's in a drinker's glass must necessarily be made available to the consumer. In the case of the Chichibu sample, it is made with Japanese barley and fully matured in Japanese Mizunara oak that comes from the local Chichibu area - all of that information must be made transparent and must come through in the glass, even as quality comes first. Consumers must therefore be assured that they are able to know where their whisky comes from and who made it.

 

The Next 100 Years

Looking towards the future, the oft saying that the only constant is change is nothing short of fitting. Japanese whisky has come a long way and yet simultaneously still has a long way to go. As much as the category is experiencing a boom at the moment, it is clear that each of the panelists believe that they cannot afford to take their foot of the pedal anytime soon.

Fuji's Master Blender Tanaka-san concludes by saying that he believes that trends will continue to shift and that turbulence is but an unfortunate reality of any industry as it experiences its ups and downs. Yet he believes that there is a way through and that is to produce high quality whiskies with sincerity and craftsmanship, whilst those who have simply jumped on the bandwagon likely to be shaken out. To that end, the representative of the youngest distillery of the panel, Kanosuke's Komasa-san states that even though Kanosuke is 10 years old, they have in fact 140 years of spirit making history and yet there is still lots to learn, from each other and outside of Japan, and that constant improvement to quality will be what allows the Japanese whisky industry to grow healthily into the future.

The representatives of the two oldest distilleries on the panel are particularly reflective, with Nikka's Senior Blender Ozaki-san saying that in 9 years time, Nikka will too finally celebrate its 100th anniversary, and that this year, 2025, is in fact the 200th anniversary of its Ben Nevis Distillery in Scotland, which also belongs to the Nikka / Asahi group, whilst Suntory's Fukuyo-san chuckles that it might well be a possibility that in the near future, what happens will no longer be within his hands! Both Ozaki-san and Fukuyo-san express that they can only look towards the future and hope that both new and historic distilleries continue to make better whiskies that enrich the lives of its consumers. 

Yumi-san of Chichibu closes out by saying that what happens in the future is fact made today - and that the work being done now and the decisions being made are exactly what will shape the future. The future is therefore not to be built by someone else, and that a brilliant future can in fact be created if those living in the present so choose to realise it!