威士忌回收 · 日本威士忌 · 香港威士忌 · Aug 03, 2022

Why Do Japanese Whisky Prices Keep Rising?

Japanese whisky portraits with Hakushu, Yamazaki and Hibiki bottles

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Although Japan has a relatively short whisky-making history, it has become one of the world's most popular whisky-producing regions in recent years. Compared with the United States and Canada, its production history is brief, yet its whisky-making standards are exceptionally high, and its international reputation has even caught up with Scotch whisky.

A collage of Japanese whisky figures and whisky bottles

Since 2003, Japanese whiskies including Karuizawa, Yoichi, Taketsuru, Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki have won international awards. Karuizawa received Malt Maniacs awards in 2007 and 2008. Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 was named the world’s best whisky in the 2015 edition of Whisky Bible. Hibiki 30 received ISC Trophies in three consecutive years, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Taketsuru 21 won World’s Best Blended Malt in 2007, while Yoichi 1987 won World’s Best Single Malt in 2008, among other honours.

Results like these are hard to overlook. Japanese whisky naturally attracted worldwide attention, including Karuizawa, whose distillery had already closed. Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki from Suntory, together with Nikka's two core brands, Yoichi and Miyagikyo, have become new favourites in the whisky industry.

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Good quality and an international profile form the basis for rising whisky prices. Japanese whisky prices did in fact grow at a healthy pace from 2007 to 2017. That alone, however, was not enough to produce several-fold surges. The main reason for the sharp rises in the recent months described here was the discussion of ‘discontinuation’. As soon as that news emerged, it sparked speculation among whisky enthusiasts. For a time, places selling Japanese whisky were cleared out, with even overseas shops overwhelmed by demand. Prices for several famous Japanese whiskies suddenly multiplied, and the frenzy continued for months before easing. At the time of this account, prices had already pulled back and fluctuations had become relatively stable, although subsequent developments still merited attention.