“World Whiskies Awards 2022” Japan Qualifier Results Announcement and List of Award Winners

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Nikka WhiskyYoichi DistilleryFujigotenba DistilleryChichibu Distillery (Ichiro's Malt)komagatake DistilleryTsunuki DistilleryAkkeshi DistilleryKanosuke DistillerySaburomaru DistilleryNagahama DistilleryAsaka DistillerySakurao Distillery

The World Whiskies Awards, a whisky competition to select the best whisky in each category from among whisky entries from around the world, has announced the results of the preliminary rounds for each country for 2022.

In this article, I will introduce the results of the first round in Japan, organized by category.

Many whiskys released by craft distilleries (small distilleries) such as Akkeshi, Kanosuke, Tsunuki, Komagatake, Asaka, and Saburomaru won awards.

The prize-winning products from the preliminary rounds will now advance to the World Round, where the final results will be announced on March 24.

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1. What is the World Whisky Awards?

The World Whisky Awards is a global award that recognizes the best of all styles of internationally recognized whisky. Sponsored by TheDrinksReport.com, the world’s #1 online resource for liquor professionals, the World Whisky Awards selects, honors and promotes the world’s best whiskies to consumers and industry professionals around the world.

 

(Image source: World Whiskies Awards)

 

2. Judging process

The judging process is divided into two genres: Taste and Design. Here, I will explain the Taste judging.

2-1. Round 1

Each whisky is tasted in its own style to identify and select the style winner. The judging panel for the World Whisky Awards includes international journalists, liquor retailers and industry experts. The first round of judging seems to be done by each of the exhibiting countries.

2-2. Round 2

The whiskys that won the style awards are tasted against each other to determine the “best” whisky in each category.

2-3. Round 3

The “Best” whiskies in each category are tasted one last time to determine the “World’s Best” whisky. In addition to the judges from the first and second rounds, the judges at this stage will include leading distillery managers and whisky industry experts.

3. Results of the first round in Japan

Now, let’s take a look at the results of the first round of whisky from Japan, category by category. The original information of this list is here.

For the sake of volume, only the product names of the Blonze award-winning whiskies will be introduced.

3-1. Blended

Blended whisky is a whisky made by vatting at least one type of single malt whisky and one type of single grain whisky. If a blended malt has a geographical indication (e.g. Irish blended malt), the blend must have been vatted and bottled in the country listed on the label. Additionally, the majority (50% or more) of the component whiskys must have been distilled and matured in the country listed on the label to be eligible for entry.

[Category Winner] Akkeshi blended whisky Shosho

【レビュー】厚岸ブレンデッドウイスキー処暑(しょしょ)
熟成年数4年の原酒をメインに使用。原酒の構成はバーボン樽原酒主体でシェリー樽、ワイン樽原酒にて調整。複雑さと深みを増した熟成感。

[Gold] Nikka From the Barrel

【レビュー】ニッカ フロムザバレル
『フロム・ザ・バレル』は、熟成を経たモルト原酒とグレーン原酒をブレンド後、さらにもう一度樽詰めし、数ヶ月ほど再貯蔵。この再貯蔵は「マリッジ(結婚)」と呼ばれ、まさにこの間、個性の違うウイスキーは結婚したかのように深く馴染み合い、調和の取れた...
ニッカ フロム ザ バレル

[Silver] Akkeshi Blended Whisky Usui

【Review】Akkeshi Blended Whisky U...
Released on February 28, 2021, akkeshi blended whisky usui is a gorgeous harmony of sweet and aromatic peatiness combine...

[Silver] Nikka Days

【レビュー】ニッカ デイズ
2018年11月発売。海外限定、ジャパニーズブレンデッドウィスキー。ニッカのヨーロッパでの販売代理店でもあるパリのウイスキー専門店ラ・メゾン・デュ・ウイスキーが「ウイスキー・ライブ・パリ2018」でお披露目。11月よりフランスで販売が開始さ...

[Silver] Shinobu Blended Whisky Mizunara Wood Finish

[Silver] Kyoto Whisky Nishijin Textile Black Belt

[Bronze] Shin Select Reserve

[Bronze] The Shiki Blended Whisky Number 5

[Bronze] The Shiki Blended Whisky Number 6

[Bronze] The Shiki Blended Whisky Number 7

3-2. Blended Limited Release

A blended whisky release with a limited production of 3,600 bottles or less.

[Category Winner] Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Limited Edition 2022

The photo shows the version for 2021, so the product that won this award is supposed to be released in 2022.

[Silver] Single Blended Whisky Fuji Limited 2022

What does it mean that Kirin’s “Single Grain Fuji” calls itself “Single Blended” ? I think it means that it is a blend of malt and grain from a single distillery (Fuji Gotemba Distillery).

The photo shows the current “Single Grain Fuji” for reference.

3-3. Blended Malt No Age Statement

Blended malt whisky is made by combining single malt whiskys distilled at different distilleries, and is sometimes referred to as “vatted malt” or “pure malt” on the package. If a blended malt has a geographical indication (e.g. Irish blended malt), the blend must have been vatted and bottled in the country indicated on the label. Additionally, the majority (50% or more) of the component whiskys must have been distilled and matured in the country listed on the label to be eligible for entry.

[Category Winner] Yamazakura Blended Malt Asaka

【レビュー】山桜ブレンデッドモルトジャパニーズウイスキー シェリ...
かねてから弊社が貯蔵熟成していた国産原酒と安積蒸留所の原酒を厳選しブレンド。シェリーカスクにて更に約18ヶ月熟成したブレンデッドモルトジャパニーズウイスキー重厚感とシェリー由来の美しい甘さがバランス良く感じられ余韻も長め。

[Silver] Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

 

【レビュー】竹鶴ピュアモルト 新ラベル
2020年3月竹鶴17年・竹鶴21年・竹鶴25年が終売。竹鶴ピュアモルト(年数表記なし)はリニューアル。余市モルトの原酒使用比率を高め、香りやコクの余韻が付け足されました。北の海に鍛えられたモルトと、緑の峡谷で育まれたモルトを磨きあげ、組み...

[Silver] Mars Komagatake x Chichibu Malt Duo 2021

【レビュー】マルスウイスキー モルト デュオ 駒ヶ岳×秩父 20...
ジャパニーズウイスキーのさらなる可能性を探求し、蒸溜所の垣根を越えて美味しいウイスキーを造りたい。そんな想いから、2015年、マルス信州蒸溜所とベンチャーウイスキー秩父蒸溜所は、互いのモルト原酒を交換し、それぞれの地で熟成をする試みを始めま...

[Bronze] Masahiro Pure malt whisky

[Bronze] Inazuma Synergy Blend

[Bronze] Far East of Peat First Batch

[Bronze] Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries

3-4. Blended Malt 12 Years & Under

[Category Winner] Shinobu 10 Year Pure Malt Whisky Mizunara

[Gold] Masahiro Pure malt whisky 12 years old Oloroso Sherry Cask 

(Image source: SHIN GROUP)

[Silver] Kurayoshi 12 yeaes 

[Silver] Kurayoshi 18 years

created by Rinker
マツイ ピュアモルトウイスキー 倉吉 18年 700ml ブランド名

[Bronze] Shin Mizunara 10 Years Old

[Bronze] Shibui Pure Malt 10 Years Old

3-5 .New Make & Young Spirit

New Make Spirits are unaged products distilled from fermented grain mash in copper pots, columns, or hybrid stills. Young Spirit is a New Make spirit that has been aged in wooden barrels for at least six months but less than two years.

[Category Winner] Yamazakura New Pot Asaka Peated

[Silver] Mars Tsunuki New Pot Heavily Peated 2021

[Bronze] Yamazakura New Pot Asaka

[Bronze] Niigata Kameda New Pot Niigata Barley

3-6. Single Cask Single Malt

A single cask is a wooden cask with a capacity of 750 liters or less. To qualify as a single cask single malt whisky, it must have been drained and bottled without the addition of any substance other than water (for dilution) and/or spirit caramel. No vatting of more than two casks is permitted in the single cask single malt production process.

[Category Winner] Yamazakura Single Cask Whisky Asaka

(Image source: Klass Tiles )

 

[Gold] Mars Single Cask Tsunuki #T491

【レビュー】シングルカスク津貫2021 シェリーホグスヘッド・バ...
「津貫蒸溜所2021限定ボトル」としてリリース。2021年11月に開催が予定されていた「津貫蒸溜所祭り2021」でお披露目される予定だったボトル。 限定ボトルとしては5作目となります。今作で初めて津貫蒸留所操業2シーズン目に蒸留した原酒(2...

3-7.Single Cask Single Malt 12 Years & Under

[Category Winner] Malus Komagatake 2014 Single Cask No.1841 7years

[Gold] Saburomaru Handfill 2017

(Image source: Me and ALC)

[Silver] Ichiro’s Malt Single Cask #2080 for Whisky Festival

[Bronze] Mars Single Cask Tsunuki #T86

3-8.Single Malt Single Malt

Single malt whisky must be 100% malted barley, distilled at least twice using copper pot stills. Multiple casks may be used, but the product must be from a single distillery, have at least 40% alcohol by volume, and be aged in wooden casks for at least two years. If the single malt whisky has a geographical indication (such as Irish single malt whisky), it must have been distilled and aged in the country indicated on the label.

[Category Winner] Kanosuke Single Malt Limited distillery

(Image source: Kannosuke Distillery)

[Gold] Kanosuke Single Malt 2021 Second Edition

【レビュー】シングルモルト嘉之助2021 SECOND EDIT...
前作のファーストエディション同様にノンピート麦芽を使用し、バーボン樽で熟成した原酒をキーに、複数の樽をヴァッティング。2018年に嘉之助蒸留所で蒸留し熟成されたシングルモルトジャパニーズウィスキーです。上品な甘さとほろ苦さ、樽香がしっかり感...

[Silver] Kanosuke Single Malt 2021 First Edition

【レビュー】シングルモルト嘉之助2021 FIRST EDITI...
嘉之助蒸留所初のシングルモルトジャパニーズウィスキー「シングルモルト嘉之助2021 FIRST EDITION 」は ノンピート麦芽を使用し、樽熟成米焼酎「 メローコヅル」で使用したカスクで熟成した原酒をキーに、複数の樽をヴァッティング、カ...

[Silver] Yamazakura Asaka The First Peated

[Silver] Nikka Single Malt Yoichi Non-peated

【レビュー】シングルモルト余市ノンピーテッド
2024年に創業90周年を迎えるニッカウヰスキーが保有する多様な原酒や、原料や発酵などの製造工程によるウィスキーのつくり分けの歴史が生み出す奥深さに焦点を当てた“NIKKA DISCOVERYシリーズ”第1弾商品です。ウィスキーの多様性や奥...

[Silver] Mars Tsunuki 2022 Edition

【レビュー】シングルモルト津貫2022 エディション
バーボン樽で熟成したモルト原酒を使用。華やかで甘い香り、フルーツの甘さとバーボン樽のウッディで甘いテイストが相まって心地よい余韻。

[Bronze] Akkeshi Blended Whisky SARORUNKAMUY Overseas Edition

[Bronze] Nikka Single Malt Miyagikyo

[Bronze] Mars Tsunuki 2021 Minami-Satsuma Edition

[Bronze Bronze] Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu The Peated 2022

3-9. Small Batch Single Malt

Small batch single malt whisky is defined as a single malt whisky produced using less than 100 casks.

[Category Winner] Single Malt Nagahama Sherry Cask Batch 0208

(Image source: Campfire “Nagahama Whisky Lab”)

[Silver] Single Malt Nagahama Bordeaux Cask Batch 1427

(Image source: Furusato Taxation “Sato Furu”)

 

3-10. Small Batch Single Malt 12 Years & Under

[Silver] Saburomaru  The Magician Cask Strength

【レビュー】シングルモルト三郎丸1 THE MAGICIAN カ...
0から1へ。「ひとつの変化と新たなる一歩、変容、技能、新しい段階」が三郎丸1のキーワード。カスクストレングス版がアルコール度数63%、通常版がアルコール度数48%ということで、通常版よりもモルトの力強さとコクがしっかりと感じられる1本になっ...

[Bronze] Sakurao Single Malt Japanese Whisky Cask Strength 

4. Consideration

It seems that the judging is done strictly by blind tasting, where experts from each country evaluate without being told the brand name.

Among the growing number of craft distilleries in Japan over the past few years, it is very gratifying and meaningful that the Akkeshi Distillery, the Kanosuke Distillery, the Azumi Distillery, the Komagatake Distillery, the Tsunuki Distillery, and the Saburomaru Distillery, all of which started early on, were given a fair evaluation. Not only Suntory and Nikka, the major Japanese whisky companies, but also “Craft Distilleries” were able to show their presence.

On the other hand, when I look at the judging results, there are a few things that make me feel a little uncomfortable. There were some whiskys that seemed to have been blended in Japan after a short period of aging with imported raw materials that were probably designed for overseas consumption, such as “I’ve never heard of this kind of whisky in Japan” or “This kind of whisky is not distributed in Japan. (I’m not sure if this is in violation of the regulations or not.)

It is somewhat distressing to think that whiskys made without sufficient production facilities are being judged as “whiskeys made by Japanese people” with designs and descriptions that look as if they are Japanese whiskys, taking advantage of the global boom of Japanese whisky.

I would like to continue to watch the development of Japanese whisky on a global scale, hoping that this kind of discomfort will gradually disappear when authentic Japanese whisky matures further in the future.

この記事を書いた人
新海 博之

Born July 17, 1981 in Kitahiroshima City, Hokkaido, Japan
After graduating from university, joined NTT Data Customer Service Corporation as a new graduate.
2010: Opened "Azabujuban BAR Shinkai" → 2016: Developed specialty "Yakuzen Curry" → 2018: Opened "Toranomon BAR Shinkai" and in 2019 "Shibadaimon BAR Shinkai" → 2020: Started web media "Japanese Whisky Dictionary".
We will daily communicate the appeal of Japanese whiskey as something we, as bartenders, can do.

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