Is Japanese Whisky Expensive?

When it comes to alcoholic drink trends, they seem to come and go as with everything else.

16:04 17 May 2021

However, when it comes to Japanese whisky, the trend does not seem to be going anywhere. In fact, this drink is becoming more and more popular. Japanese distillers are working towards perfection and the whisky they produce has grown into a wonderful category all of its own, embedded with flavor, skill, and history.

 

As more and more people are learning about Japanese whisky, more questions start to come up. Some of the questions revolve around flavors, productions, and the ways it is distilled. However, one of the most prevalent questions about Japanese whisky is, why do the prices keep going up?

 

Lovers of Japanese whisky collect it, buy it, and try it, but many do not understand or know about the milestones that have made the price of this premium whisky go up as much as they have. While you can still get a bottle at a decent price, Japanese whisky is definitely going to cost you more today than it did several years ago. As expected, Japanese whisky is quite tasty and the labels and bottles are gorgeous. In addition, many of the stories behind the bottles and labels sound like fairy tales. If you still want to ask “is Japanese whisky expensive”, then scan more in this site https://www.ishopchangi.com/en/category/wine-and-spirits/wine-and-spirits-spirits/japanese-whiskey.

 

A Pricing Tale

 

In order to understand why the price of Japanese whisky has risen so much, it is ideal to look at the history. From the 1930s through the 1980s, whisky consumption in Japan when up every year. However, during the 1980s Shochu started to boom. This light spirit made from rice became extremely popular. Beer also started to be consumed more. Whisky sales started to crash and many distilleries closed. The distilleries that did not close reduced their production.

 

Until 2003 things were pretty uneventful for Japanese whisky, but then Yamazaki 12-Year-Old whisky from Suntory won gold at the International Spirits Challenge. The following year the Hibiki 30-year-old won a trophy. Since then, Japanese whisky has taken home awards each year and with these awards an increase in demand arose once again. However, many of the warehouses were empty when the demand started to go up and some of the whisky was not even being made.

 

One prime example of this is Karuizawa whiskey. It was shut down in 2000 and the stock was purchased and the site dismantled. Karuizawa whisky started showing up at auctions and each bottle pushing prices higher as collectors of this type of whisky will stop at nothing to get their hands on some of the rarest bottles of these great bottles.

 

Buying Japanese Whisky

 

When it comes to purchasing Japanese whisky, the rare bottles are very expensive. Some of the top selling bottles are only released once a year as a way to keep fans of the brands excited.

 

Rare Japanese bottles are looked at as an investment and there are only a few collectors from around the world that could afford to open up a bottle of 50-year-old Yamazaki and even if they open it, they likely do so with a heavy heart. Most collectors are deterred from opening their bottles as they know the $10000 bottle of today will likely sell for $100,000 in the future.

 

Unfortunately, the collecting of the rare bottles also affects the price of other bottles of Japanese whisky as well. However, there are still many great bottles of Japanese whisky that are affordable for the average consumer who would like to try this great tasting spirit.

 

There are many great Japanese whiskies that can be purchased for around $50. These brands offer great tasting whisky that many lovers of this type of alcohol truly enjoy. However, the demand for Japanese whisky throughout the world still remains quite high, which means that unless you are in Japan, getting your hand on a bottle for a decent price can be quite tricky. If you find a bottle you should buy it as soon as possible because many of the best sellers will be gone in the blink of an eye.