Togouchi Japanese Whisky - From The People That Don't Make Whisky

Togouchi is a rather unusual Japanese whisky from Chugoku Jozo distillery located near Hiroshima. Established in 1918, Chugoku Jozo primarily creates sake and souchu and doesn't actually distil whisky themselves. Instead they import Scottish malt whisky and Canadian grain whiskey which is then blended by a master distiller and aged before being bottled under the Togouchi brand. You may well be wondering how exactly a blend of Scotch and Canadian grain whiskey can actually be classified as a Japanese product, I know I was! When the whisky is imported to Japan it's held in a foreign cargo area by the authorities until Chugoku Jozo pays the relevant import taxes. According to Japanese law, after the duties have been paid the whisky is then naturalised and officially becomes Japanese. This seems a little strange to me but that's apparently how it works over there! Once they have been naturalised, blended and diluted with water drawn from mountains in Sandankyo Natural Park the whisky is then matured in sherry and brandy casks in, and here the story gets even more unusual, an abandoned railway tunnel. The tunnel, which was constructed in 1970 by JR Japanese railway company, is 361 meters long and was intended to expand the rail network from Kabe to Hamada. The project was never seen through to fruition which was bad news for rail commuters but good news for the whisky world. The temperature in the tunnel is a constant 14 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 80% which Chugoku Jozo deem to be ideal conditions for aging whisky and sochu. Due to the success this whisky has enjoyed, Chugoku Jozo has recently filled a further 50 barrels and put them in the aging tunnel so that production of the whisky can continue.

Togouchi 18 Year Old Blended Whisky

This is a light and floral whisky that is comparable in style to Lowland whisky from Scotland. The nose is an eclectic mix of sweet fruit like peaches and pears along with damp leaves and oats. On the palate we are getting cereal, sweet pastries, salted caramel and a nice earthiness that leads to a satisfying finish which is quite nutty.        

Togouchi 12 Years Old Blended Whisky

Unlike the 18 year old, this whisky displays some peat on the nose and palate. Citrus fruits hit you on the nose along with apple and grapefruit. The palate is similar with apple and candied lemon peel but underneath that you get some marzipan, spice and herbal notes. The finish is pleasant with a lingering sweetness with hints of coconut.        

Togouchi Blended Whisky

This no age statement whisky is a very different beast compared to the other two mentioned above. The nose is light and summery with butterscotch and freshly cut grass. This is purportedly a blend 8 year old malt and corn whiskey but it tastes like a grain whiskey with more than a passing resemblance to Nikka's Coffey Grain. The palate delivers cor, caramel, pepper and nutmeg with a short sweet and spicy finish. These are all very good whiskies with the 12 and 18 year old easily able to stand tall with the best blends in the world. The no age statement Togouchi is a bit of a wildcard as it is so different from the other two but it's an excellent whisky at the entry level price point. Now it's perfectly understandable if you don't consider Togouchi as Japanese whiskies; in fact I'm a little perplexed how it's able to claim Japanese provenance when it is distilled elsewhere. The strict rules that govern Scotch production do not apply in Japan and it appears that the term Japanese whisky may in some cases be slightly ambiguous. It may surprise you to know that this is quite a common practice in Japan, a fact that a great deal of distillers are keen to hide and I at least applaud Chugoku Jozo for being transparent about this. As a whisky drinker the most important fact for me is that these are very good whiskies no matter where the individual components may have originated. Chugoku Jozo did an excellent job of marrying these components together so I say just enjoy these drams and don't worry too much about where they came from!