PRODUCTION METHOD QUALITY REQUIREMENTS RAW INGREDIENTS Raw ingredients must be limited to malted grains, other cereal grains, and water extracted in Japan. Malted grains must always be used. PRODUCTION METHOD PRODUCTION Saccharification, fermentation, and distillation must be carried out at a distillery in Japan. Alcohol content at the time of distillation must be less than 95%. AGING The distilled product must be poured into wooden casks not exceeding a capacity of 700 liters and matured in Japan for a period of at least 3 years thereafter. BOTTLING Bottling must take place only in Japan, with alcoholic strength of at least 40% as of such time. OTHER Plain caramel coloring can be used. 5 THE NAVIGATOR | FEATURE “The Japanese have long been master blenders, and the bulk of Japanese product exported is blended whisky, and much of it isn’t made in Japan,” says Alex de Ujfalussy, founder of Navigate World Whisky. “They do produce their own single malts, but a lot of what is out there can’t strictly be called Japanese whisky according to the new regulations. I’d say this designation is long overdue, but to be truly effective it requires greater capacity for enforcement, and the buy-in from the entire industry.” So although the market is still wide open for those looking to masquerade Japanese whisky abroad, the fact that the JS&LMA includes some key Japanese producers means that the changes have already had some positive impact. Popular blends such as Nikka have been updated to step in line with the rules, while “the new regulations have forced some of the larger producers who are part of this industry group to build distilleries and make their own whisky in Japan,” says La Maison du Whisky’s Didier Ghorbanzadeh, an expert on Japanese whisky, and renowned spirits educator. But because the guidelines are only that – a best practice suggestion, without any regulatory teeth – it won’t prevent opportunist liquor companies from continuing to import cheap bulk whisky from elsewhere in the world and rebottling it as Japanese whisky. “It pushes the industry in the right way, but it does still leave the consumer in a position where they might not know exactly what they are buying,” says Ghorbanzadeh. The solution? Well, you can either do your own research and stay up to date with which brands are members of the JS&LMA, and have updated their labels accordingly, or you can buy from a trusted source that can vouch for the true origin of the spirit in each bottle. Because although we’re all for innovation in the world of spirits, and whisky-lovers being able to buy blends crafted from malts made around the world, NWW stands for authenticity and transparency. If it says Japanese whisky on the bottle, it should be distilled, matured and bottled in Japan. Period. Prohibition of Misleading Labeling The specified term shall include the words “Japanese” and “whisky” (or “whiskey”) in a unified and integrated manner without inserting additional words between them. For whisky that meets the production method quality requirements set forth, the type of whisky may be indicated together with the specified term if based on the permissible labeling of types of whisky under the Fair Competition Code. It is currently understood that the types of whisky permitted to be labeled under the Fair Competition Code include the following: “Malt Whisky”, “Grain Whisky”, “Blended Whisky”, “Straight Whisky”, “Single Whisky” and “Pure Whisky”. The specified terms set forth may not be used in labeling products unless the production method quality requirements are satisfied, even if such terms are expressed through or with (i) words that have the same meanings as those terms (e.g., “Nihon whisky” or “Japan whisky”), (ii) translations into Japanese or a foreign language or (iii) terms such as “type” or “style”. Business operators shall not use labeling that includes any of the items below for products that do not satisfy the production method quality requirements set forth, unless measures are taken to clarify that the product being labeled does not meet such requirements: (i) Names of people that evoke Japan (ii) Names of Japanese cities, regions, famous places, mountains and rivers (iii) The Japanese flag or a Japanese era name (iv) Any other labeling that makes it likely that the product being labeled is mistaken for a product that satisfies the production method quality requirements. Business operators shall not use labeling that makes it likely that alcohol products that do not meet the definition of “whisky” under the Liquor Tax Act are mistaken for whisky, and shall not supply, or cooperate in supplying, alcohol products to vendors that use such labeling. “Japanese whisky” (or “Japanese whiskey”)
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