Japanese Whisky
On February 16, 2021 the New Labeling Standards for "Japanese Whisky" by the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association was released - with the purpose of clarifying what constitutes "Japanese Whisky". More details of this on our blog post on this subject.
The standards also attempt to prevent the use of any material which may try to suggest that the Whisky is Japanese simply "by implication". To be clear, the above are "standards" which shall be adopted by the producers who are members of above association and are not legally binding. So while we may continue to see some vague labeling in the market from non-members, we do expect to see clear labeling/information from the member producers which shall help the Japanese Whisky industry. The new standards shall be effective from April 1, 2021, though it gives some leeway until March 2024 to rectify existing labeling.
To the extent we at Mizunara are aware, we will clearly identify products based on the origin of the distilled spirit within this category of "Whisky from Japan" which includes Whisky currently conforms to the New Standards and some which don't. If you are unsure, please reach out to us for clarification.