After a decade of Americans quoting Bill Murray’s most memorable line from the movie Lost in Translation, discerning bartenders finally seem ready to “make it Suntory time” in the U.S. A recent ABC news story finds that from Los Angeles restaurants and bars such as Hinoki and the Bird, Seven Grand and Lukshon to L’amant and 15 East in New York, operators are seeing an increased interest in Japanese whisky.
Experts all tend to agree that part of the allure of the Japanese style can be attributed to its subtlety. Japanese whisky is crafted in the Scottish style (and spelled without an “e” as in Scotland) and made to drink with water added to it. And when you dilute Japanese whisky, wonderful flavor compounds come out.
Stone fruits, caramel and floral are all used to describe the lighter Japanese whisky profile. The whiskies also take naturally to Asian cocktail ingredients; they can also be used to add a new twist to classics like the Manhattan.
Read the full story here.