MN/WI - Spirits of Japan Portfolio Book

THE NEW PROPOSED JAPANESE WHISKY STANDARDS

April 1, 2021, the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association (JSLMA) has implemented new labeling standards for its association members (note: not all producers of Japanese whisky are association members and this is a voluntary association).

To label a product as Japanese whisky, the following requirements must be met:

• Distillers must always use malted grains but may also include other cereal grains.

• Water used to make whisky must be extracted in Japan.

• Saccharification (conversion of starches into sugars, or mashing), fermentation and distillation must take place at a Japanese distillery.

• Whisky must be matured in wooden casks stored in Japan for at least three years.

• Bottling must take place only in Japan, with a minimum strength of 40% abv.

• Plain caramel coloring may be used.

• Whiskies that don’t meet the above requirements (by March 31, 2024) may not use the names of geographical locations in Japan, the Japanese flag, or the names of people that evoke the country in their labeling. *** The proposed rules don’t come with any penalties and, of course, they only apply to brands that are part of the JSLMA. Spirits that don’t meet all the requirements can still be labelled as whisky, but not Japanese whisky.

JAPANESE WHISKY LAWS IN THE NEWS