Alana Landsberry
While you’d be forgiven for thinking Japanese drinks are limited to light and delicate sake, premium whisky, and a crisp Sapporo beer on a warm summer day, the reality is that Japan’s beverage culture offers a far more diverse and intriguing selection. Japan’s drink scene is evolving from the delicate and often floral noted native-Japanese grape koshu to the zesty, aromatic essence of yuzu-infused drinks and the bold flavour of shōchū.
Kenichi Ohashi, the sole Master of Wine (MW) in Japan, says that the current state of play for Japan balances ancient techniques with modern tastes. “The younger generation is innovative,” he says, “but our innovation is relatively gentle compared with the Australian market.”
These are the new Japanese drinks to try.
Koshu (Japanese wine)
Evolving over the centuries, Koshu is Japan’s only known indigenous grape variety. Its thick, red-tinged skin makes it comparatively resistant to disease in Japan’s humid climate. From a cult-favourite winery, Grace Wine’s Hishiyama koshu is a single-vineyard wine that expresses grapefruit and nashi flavours and hints of limestone minerality. The wine’s greatest appeal is its texture, as the freshness comes not from acidity but from a linear minerality that sweeps across the palate. The wine works beautifully with a whole range of foods, from grilled prawns on a barbecue to tempura battered vegetables or a sticky miso-glazed salmon rice bowl.
Try: 2021 Grace Wine Koshu Hishiyama Vineyard
Shōchū
Shōchū is a traditional Japanese spirit made from rice or sweet potato (or a combination of both), combining sake brewing techniques with a spirit distillation process. Its origins date back 500 years, with the first recorded production in the Yamagawa area, now part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in southern Japan. Once used as a disinfectant for sword wounds during the Edo period, shōchū has undergone a modern transformation, becoming one of the trendiest ready-to-drink beverages on the market. You can’t go past a bus stop, billboard or social media post in Japan without seeing a mention of Suntory’s Minus 196 cans – a refreshing mix of shōchū, vodka, soda and lemon. The name comes from the unique process of capturing the fruit’s vibrant flavours: lemons are flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen at an astonishing -196°C, locking in their freshness and enhancing the drink’s crisp, citrusy appeal.
Try: Suntory Minus 196 Double Lemon (4-pack)
Sake
Sake is one of the world’s most unique and exciting beverages. The Houraisen Akai Sake project involved a year-long collaboration between Deja Vu Sake and Houraisen Brewery. Typically, the rice used in sake production is polished, resulting in a clear liquid that is delicate, slightly sweet, and low in acidity. This sake, however, is made from a minimally polished ancient red rice, which retains a ruby-red hue, reminiscent of cherries. The resulting sake tastes bright, fresh and vibrant with a well-balanced interplay of umami and sweet plums and a pleasing complexity.
Try: Houraisen Akai Sake Junmai
Yuzu sparkling sake
There’s a strong connection in flavours between Australia and Japan, particularly through our shared appreciation of their traditional citrus fruit, yuzu, which can be found in everything from Australian-made sodas to hot sauce. Yuzu is a citrus fruit that originated in China and was brought to Japan in the Nara Period (710-794). Yoshinogawa, Japan’s fifth-oldest sake brewery and the oldest sake producer in the Niigata prefecture, has created a refreshing sparkling sake infused with Japanese yuzu juice. The vibrant citrus aromas of yuzu and grapefruit, as well as an elegant palate and delicate bubble, work perfectly with blue swimmer crab, prawns, lobster, and all manner of good Australian seafood.
try: Yoshinogawa Yuzu Sparkling Sake
Japanese whisky
Having just celebrated its 100th anniversary, Japanese whisky is hardly “new wave”. But it’s an excellent case study of combining a rich history of local craft with global lessons. Fuji Gotemba Distillery (located at the foot of Mount Fuji) is one of the only distilleries in the world capable of distilling multiple styles of grain whisky within a single blend – produced from single grains at one distillery. Each component is aged separately, with master blender Jota Tanaka overseeing the process. The Fuji Single Blended Whisky is super soft, with all these silky layers, purity of flavour, and a hint of a smoked sage character that weaves its way into the palate. It’s easily a benchmark for blended whisky globally.
Try: Fuji Single Blended Whisky
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
