In 2021, some good news for Japanese-whisky fans arrived in the form of new labeling standards set forth by the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association, which were codified a few years later … sort of.

Japanese whisky is now subject to rules that clearly define what is in the bottle, although at this point it’s really an agreement among producers rather than a legal requirement. According to Kris Elliott, cofounder of High Road Spirits, which imports Japanese whisky, among other spirits, the intent is for these standards to become law within a few years, ensuring that Japanese whisky will be defined as specifically as Scotch or bourbon is.

Until recently, that bottle of Japanese whisky you paid a premium for might not actually contain whisky made in Japan. Producers cou

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