What you need to know:

• Kirin's Fuji Whisky is firing on all cylinders for their 50th Anniversary - two new Japan-only releases: Fuji Single Malt Japanese Whisky and Fuji 50th Anniversary Edition Single Malt Japanese Whisky.

• The new Fuji Single Malt, said by the distillery to be "rich and fruity" will be made available year-round from 16 May 2023. It is bottled at 46% ABV and priced at 6,600 Yen (or US$50) via Kirin's webstore, DRINX.

• The 50th Anniversary Edition Single Malt Japanese Whisky will be released on 23 May 2023. Notably, it will feature malt whiskies made by the distillery from every decade from 1970s to 2010s. It will be bottled at cask strength ~52% ABV, priced at 21,780 Yen (or US$163.50), and is limited to just 3,000 bottles.

Kirin's Fuji Whisky is going full steam ahead with their releases - it is their 50th Anniversary after all, as well as the 100th Anniversary of Japanese Whisky - with two new Japan-only releases: the Fuji Single Malt Japanese Whisky and Fuji 50th Anniversary Edition Single Malt Japanese Whisky.

Fuji Distillery sits at the base of Mt Fuji.

The Fuji Gotemba Distillery stands out in the Japanese whisky landscape for being the only distillery able to produce both single malt and single grain whiskies in one single place. In fact, ageing and bottling is done on-site as well, making it a true reflection of a singular provenance. Hence, they've also become the pioneers of a new classification of whiskies known as the Single Blended - with malt and grain whiskies in the blend both produced in the same distillery.

| Read: Pioneering a New Whiskey Style beside Mt Fuji: A Masterclass with Jota Tanaka

As such, the new Fuji Single Malt which has been long anticipated is now here to complete the full suite of flagship expressions from the distillery most known for its Single Grain (with distillation stills that exist only in Fuji Distillery outside of North America) that is made in three styles - Scotch, American and Canadian.

The new Fuji Single Malt, said by the distillery to be "rich and fruity" will be made available year-round in Japan from 16 May 2023.

The Fuji Single Malt Japanese Whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and priced at 6,600 Yen (or US$50) via Kirin's webstore, DRINX, which serves domestically.

Master Blender Jota Tanaka has dedicated his entire career to Kirin, and is one of only four Hall of Fame inductees from Japan.

How do we know Fuji is gaining hearts and palates? Since its full rollout in 2020 after a rebranding exercise, sales have gone up 10-fold in those last three years. Its Single Grain has won World's Best Grain Whisky and the distillery's Master Blender Jota Tanaka has been inducted to the Whisky Hall of Fame.

As such, the brand will further its expansion in the US and Europe this year, having successfully expanded into Singapore, Australia and China. They aim to 10x their 2021 total sales by 2030 - so you can bet they'll have loads more in store.

Fuji has been known for its grain whiskey which is made in three styles - Scotch, American and Canadian; and yet remains uniquely Japanese.

This 50th Anniversary is a big one - it is all the more symbolic for the distillery as it is said that it takes 50 years for the snow first fallen on Mt Fuji to make its way down the fabled mountain as water, which is used to make Fuji Whisky - that means this year, snow that first landed at the distillery's inauguration will have come full circle and be made into Fuji Whisky.

To celebrate, Fuji will also release the 50th Anniversary Edition Single Malt Japanese Whisky on 23 May 2023 in Japan. Most notably it will feature malt whiskies made by the distillery from every decade from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and even malt whisky from the first year of its operations in 1973. It is said to "feature a beautiful flavor that masterfully blends the sweet and complex mature aroma derived from long-aged malt whisky with a gorgeous aroma".

"Kirin Single Malt Japanese Whisky FUJI 50th Anniversary Edition is made from the base malt whisky from the time of its operation in 1973, as well as the original malt whiskies from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.

It is a single malt whisky that combines the deep aroma characteristic of the precious, long-matured base whisky and the delicate malt flavor that we have treasured for so long, with the new fruity malt flavor in perfect harmony."

It will be bottled at cask strength which should punch in at approximately 52% ABV, and will be priced at 21,780 Yen (or US$163.50), and is limited to just 3,000 bottles. It will be sold at the distillery and also at the DRINX webstore in Japan.

Lead image courtesy of Fuji Whisky.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team