Japan 

The production of spirits in Japan has a very long tradition (sake above all), which is joined by the more recent one, relating to distillates. Or rather, even here the experience is truly historic, but only recently (around the beginning of the 2000s) has Japan become the protagonist of a production of high quality Whiskey, Rum and Gin , also achieving important international awards. We recall that for about two thousand years sake has played a central role in the life of the Japanese and, thanks to the subsequent diffusion of specific knowledge and fermentation techniques, it has gradually reached every corner of the country. Obtained mainly from rice, sake is produced by the fermentation of a microorganism, called koji, and yeast. Its alcohol content can vary from 13 to 16%. There are many varieties of sake, which depending on the season can be consumed, cold or hot, and today there are different varieties of rice that are used; this selection allows the production of high quality products. As far as whiskey is concerned, for some years the sector has "accepted" the presence, and at times the supremacy, of Japanese production: Japanese whiskeys have organoleptic qualities that are sometimes very distant from those of Western tradition and for this reason they are unusual, but intriguing to our palate. These are indispensable premises for approaching the tasting of products that are sometimes very particular and very interesting. The same goes for the other distillates, which follow "traditional" production specifications, but often with "local" raw materials (for example, the very important water): this determines organoleptic variations that are sometimes significant and, at the same time, fascinating.