Japan's whisky named 'best in world'

Humiliation for Scotland

Japan gave the Scotch whisky industry a ‘wake up call’ - after a single malt from the far east was named the best in the world. Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 was given the title by Jim Murray’s ‘Whisky Bible’, which describes the drink as a work of “near incredible genius”.

For the first time, the 2015 edition of the renowned publication features no Scottish distillery in its top five. And to rub salt in Scotland’s wounds, the old enemy has won European Whisky of the Year - the honour going to Chapter 14 Not Peated, from the English Whisky Company.

The Yamazaki Single Malt, from Japan’s oldest distillery which dates back to 1923, was given 97.5 marks out of 100 by Murray, who hailed its “nose of exquisite boldness” and finish of “light, teasing spice”.

Varieties of Scotch whisky were named best in the world by Murray in two of the last three years - Old Pulteney’s 21-year-old single malt in 2012 and Glenmorangie Ealanta in 2014.

But the expert says that the emergence of such high quality overseas tipples should be a ‘wake up call’ for the Scottish industry. He accused producers of taking their “eye off the ball”, adding that the Yamazaki drink is “a single malt which no Scotch can at the moment get anywhere near”. Murray said that he had sampled hundreds of Scotch whiskies while tasting 4,700 varieties from around the world for his 2015 Bible.

In a savage critique of the Scottish industry, whose quality was written into folklore by the likes of Robbie Burns, he complained, “Where were the complex whiskies in the prime of their lives?” Scottish bard Burns’s 1785 poem ‘Scotch Drink’ celebrates whisky as “thy strong heart’s blood” and “guid auld” drink.

But Murray bemoans the lack of innovation in the present-day industry. He wrote: “Where were the blends which offered bewildering layers of depth? Where were the malts which took you on hair-standing journeys through dank and dingy warehouses? Some have taken their eye off the ball and not brought into account the changes which have altered the face of whisky. They began to believe their own PR hype and standard brands started standing still or going backwards.”

The winning Yamazaki whisky, of which only 18,000 bottles were made, is only sold in a few hundred specialist shops in the UK and retails for £ 100.