Japanese whisky's evolution, with Fuji master blender Jota Tanaka

Jota Tanaka has worked for Kirin Brewery Company for 34 years, leading its whisky business as master blender since 2017. He’s had a really interesting career path through the Kirin business to arrive at his current role, including stints in winemaking, wine marketing and leading product development for Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky. We’ll get into some of that in this interview with Jota, who was inducted into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame in 2022, one of many career accolades he’s received in recent years. Today, Jota is pouring his passion, skills and experience into Kirin’s flagship whisky brand Fuji, which is produced at the Fuji-Gotemba distillery at the foot of Mount Fuji. Established in 1973, Fuji-Gotemba is one of very few distilleries producing both malt and grain whisky at the same site, which explains the unusual labelling – Single Blended – on the newest Fuji Whisky expression. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Fuji Whisky. Coming up, Jota and I explore the many different facets that make Fuji unique, including its unwavering commitment to releasing whisky when all the component parts have reached peak maturity, rather than at a certain age. He shares his experience working at the distillery when Japanese whisky was at its lowest ebb, versus the boom times of today. As Jota explains, it’s quite remarkable that Fuji-Gotemba survived the downturn at all, with another distillery, Karuizawa, famously shuttered during this period. Jota has also been actively involved in Japanese whisky industry activities to protect the integrity and reputation of Japanese whisky by assisting in the setting of labelling standards.  We talked about those issues extensively with Dave Broom on the podcast in 2020. Now, Jota will update you on the current state of play, and I ask him whether the standards may have come too late for Japanese whisky, given the reputational damage that has already occurred. I’m really excited to present this interview that I recorded with Jota on his first visit to Sydney in March 2023. And if you’re listening in Australia, Fuji Whisky Single Blended is exclusive to The Whisky Club as its whisky of the month for April 2023. Fuji Single Grain is available in select Dan Murphy’s and First Choice Liquor stores nationally. There’s only 300 bottles coming into Australia of Fuji Masterpiece 2022. Look out for that one in leading whisky bars near you. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.