Ageless in Japan: Suntory sells a mix of "global whiskey" as a premium drink

TOKYO / LONDON (Reuters) – Japan's Suntory Holdings is facing a whiskey crisis and is selling a rare blend from around the world as premium whiskey to raise the status of young mixes among savvy drinkers. often swear before old malts.

Whiskey manufacturers around the world, and in Japan in particular, have been forced to suspend some aged bottles in recent years due to increased demand for depleted mature whiskey stocks.

Last year, Suntory suspended the popular 17-year-old film Hibiki – a drink whose character Bill Murray in the movie "Lost in Translation" was famous for his promotion, stating: "For moments of relaxation, meet you Suntory's time. " Now he sells online for 40,000 yen ($ 357) against 10,000 yen a few years ago.

In an effort to expand its options, Suntory began Tuesday to sell an unusual alternative, "Ao", an ageless mix made from Scotch whiskey, the United States, Ireland , Japan and Canada.

At the price of 5,000 yen a bottle, it's a mix of five countries that whiskey manufacturers have rarely tried, but this is possible for Suntory, given the global badets available to it after its US $ 13.6 billion purchase of the US spirits Beam manufacturer in 2014.

While Ao will be sold exclusively in Japan, with 30,000 crates of bottles delivered this year, it will be closely watched by competitors in the global sector, with $ 6 billion, faced with a supply of high quality stocks in decline.

Unlike other strong alcohols such as vodka or gin, the whiskey must be aged in barrels between three and fifty years, which means that growers must anticipate demand decades in advance. As a result, many have introduced NAS whiskeys to handle supply.

World distilleries, including The Macallan, owned by Edrington, The Glenlivet, owned by Pernod Ricard, and Talisker from Diageo have launched NAS variants in recent years.

Pernod said his NAS founder's reserve had met with great success with a new generation of drinkers. It became the sixth largest Scotch single malt in the world in 2017, two years after its launch, while there was a temporary shortage of The Glenlivet 12 Years.

"Since then, we have been working hard to make this term permanent and to ensure long-term security of supply," said Miriam Eceolaza, marketing director for Pernod & Whiskey Unit malts. Chivas Brothers, adding that Glenlivet 12 was back on some markets. , like Britain, with others coming.

Most NAS whiskeys are sold at a modest price compared to older whiskeys, in part because the industry has been able to convince drinkers that older whiskeys are better.

"It's not a mystery that you can charge a lot for something that carries a very old statement, but how can you add value to the young whiskey NAS, thus making it more profitable?" Asked Chuck Cowdery , publisher of The Bourbon Country Reader.

"If you can make a valuable product from a larger pool of inventory and succeed, it becomes more than a prestige project. It's something you can bring to the bank. "

PRICE

However, whiskey experts say it's hard to say if a "global whiskey" will make its way into the premium category.

The price of Ao is higher than that of Chita, a single ageless Japanese grain, or a 10-year-old Laphroaig, both owned by Suntory and available for around 3,400 yen online.

It also costs the rival of the Nikka From the Barrel, a mixture of malt and cereals ageless.

Some observers, however, claimed that Ao's price was not exorbitant compared to Ichiro's blend of 63,000 yen from Malt & Grain Maduro – one of the few bottles from five countries but using older whiskeys matured in more than 50,000 yen. French oak barrels.

Suntory, who began manufacturing and selling wine in 1899, denies that "Ao" is the result of the shortage, although its leaders have said they want to expand the range of products available. The company is private, but Suntory Beverage & Food, its group of food and non-alcoholic beverages, is listed.

In addition to Hibiki 17, Suntory also suspended Hakushu sales for 12 years, while rival Nikka, owned by Asahi Group Holdings, also suspended its old single malts.

"It pains us that supply remains limited, even though we have increased production," said Kengo Torii, head of Suntory's whiskey division.

ORIGIN

The launch of Ao comes amidst growing questions about provenance, loose Japanese regulations that imported whiskey, once bottled or blended in the country, can be considered local.

With Ao, Suntory aims for transparency, while showing its global strengths and blending skills.

Suntory's main mixer, Shinji Fukuyo, is initially suspicious of the task.

"I could not imagine his taste at all," he told Reuters before the launch, adding that it had taken several tries to create the "Ao" mix.

Alberta Distillers whiskey in Canada is Ao's largest constituent, followed by liquid from Jim Beam's Clermont and Booker Noe distilleries. The Scottish companies Ardmore and Glen Garioch, the Irish distilleries of Cooley in Ireland and Japan, Yamazaki and Hakushu, contribute to a lesser extent.

Some whiskey aficionados will always look for a quality index, said Trevor Stirling, Bernstein's European Beverage Analyst, adding that some high-quality blends, such as the Johnnie Walker Blue, Green and Gold, deserve recognition.

"So, there are whiskey snobs that say that if it's not single malt, I do not drink it … I think mixed whiskeys are unfairly despised."