This Japanese Distillery’s New Whisky Packs an Umami Punch

Jonah Flicker
·2 min read

Umami is a flavor more associated with food than booze, but the new Hakata Whisky from Japan is betting that you’ll enjoy a bit of savory in your spirits. The secret comes from the use of koji to ferment the barley used to make the whisky.

Hakata is produced by the Hikari Distillery in Fukuoka, Japan, which was founded in 1912 (there is also a newer Hikari Distillery near Tokyo, but according to the brand that’s a different entity). The whisky is made from 100 percent barley, but in a style more similar to Irish pot still whisky—two-thirds of the barley is unmalted, while one-third is malted with koji. More specifically, the barley is saccharified (starch is turned into sugar) with koji, a mold more commonly used to ferment soybeans for soy sauce and rice or barley to make shochu and sake.

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Indeed, there is an umami note in these whiskies, particularly on the nose which leads with some mushroom and celery aromas. This continues onto the palate, which has a bit of salinity as well, but the fact that the whiskies are matured in sherry casks starts to dominate that flavor with strong notes of dried fruit, candied orange, and spice. The whisky was aged in both traditional and open-air warehouses, which means some of the barrels were really exposed to the climatic extremes—temperatures can reach the mid-90s in the summer and near freezing in the winter, meaning there is a great deal of interaction between the whisky and the wood.

Of note, the brand refers to its product as “whisky from Japan” and not “Japanese whisky.” That’s because it doesn’t quite meet the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association guidelines (voluntary as they are), which don’t really have a space for this style of koji whisky that’s made in a style more similar to shochu. The use of koji kind of makes Hakata, at least per the current guidelines, fall somewhere in between shochu (which is bottled at a much lower proof and has a lighter color) and what the world knows as Japanese whisky.

Whatever you want to call it, these are interesting new expressions in this ever-growing category that are worth checking out. The 10-year-old starts out with an SRP of $80, and the 18-year-old peaks at $190. These whiskies are still relatively difficult to find, but check out websites like Wooden Cork to find a bottle, or Flaviar to find a wide array of other Japanese whiskies to compare it to.

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