Japanese Whisky and the Highball

Japanese whisky began in the early 1920s, when Shinjirō Torii built the Yamazaki distillery near Kyōto and Masataka Taketsuru, who had studied distilling in Scotland, was engaged to direct it. Taketsuru later founded his own distillery at Yoichi in Hokkaidō, and the two houses established the Scotch-derived pattern of malted barley, pot stills and oak maturation that Japanese whisky still follows. The highball, whisky lengthened with soda water and ice, became the everyday form of the spirit in the izakaya and the home table, and its postwar popularity is bound to the growth of the izakaya and its fried and grilled food.

Japanese whisky is a grain spirit distilled from malted barley, or from a blend of malt and grain whiskies, matured in oak and bottled as single malt or blend. Its character leans towards the soft and the fragrant, shaped by blending of many distinct stocks within one house. The highball is a tall glass filled with ice, one measure of whisky and about three measures of chilled soda water, stirred once and gently, and often finished with a strip of lemon peel. It is served very cold and very lively, a drink made to accompany a meal rather than to close it.

The highball is drunk with karaage, tempura, tonkatsu, yakitori and gyoza, foods rich in oil. The cold, dry carbonation cuts through frying fat and refreshes the mouth between bites, while the light malt aroma does not compete with the seasoning. Neat or on the rocks, the same whisky suits quieter food such as grilled fish or simple simmered dishes, where its depth can be followed slowly.