When it comes to the world of booze, Japanese whisky is still a bit of a mystery to many whiskey drinkers. The lesser known of the whiskey elites, Japanese whisky is made in a style reminiscent of Scotch whisky. This is thanks to the similar climate and techniques, though, in general, Japanese whiskies are less peated and more delicate than Scotch whiskies.
“There are also 120 distilleries in Scotland as opposed to eight in Japan,” adds Wesley MacDonald, owner of Caña Bar and Kitchen in Curaçao. “Both make grain whiskies and malt whiskies, however in Japan one distillery makes a variety of styles of malt whiskies and in Scotland the style is connected to the distillery and location.”
Perhaps the main difference between Japanese whisky and Scotch whisky in 2020 is the fear of the unknown. If you’re the type of person who finds something they enjoy and sticks with it, it’s difficult to branch out and try something new. This is the case with many whiskey (or whisky) drinkers. They already enjoy their favorite bourbons, ryes, or Scotches. Why would they buy a bottle of potentially expensive Japanese whisky and risk ending up unhappy with the purchase?
Lucky for these folks, we have experts on call who are more than eager to help us figure out which Japanese whiskies to try. We asked some of our favorite bartenders tell us the Japanese whiskies they wish more people knew about. Check out their picks below.
Hakushu 18
Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami
Hakushu 18 from Suntory is one of my ultimate pours of Japanese single malt. The lovely earthy flavors coming from the terroir surrounding the distillery are so distinct while you sip it. I prefer it neat or with a large whisky cube.
Hibiki Harmony
Matt Shields, bartender at The Bay Restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
Hibiki Harmony. Of course, it’s owned by Jim Beam (Beam Suntory), so I’m not sure if I can call it “lesser-known.” But I didn’t find that out until I tasted it and it stood out to me. I loved the light color and almost smoky after taste. I had to look it up and what do you know? It’s a Beam product (sort of). Go figure.
Kaiyo
Blake Jones, bartender and director of beverage at The Kennedy in Pensacola, Florida
If I was picking a lesser known Japanese whisky, I’d say Kaiyo. They do some great stuff with barrel finishing and I’m a sucker for that. It’s a super smooth product that wouldn’t break the bank.
Ichiro’s Malt
Danielle Becker, bartender at the Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, Colorado
First off, let me start by saying that anything made by Ichiro Akuto is my favorite. He is a genius when it comes to creating something new in whisky (a hard thing to accomplish). He ages whisky in beer casks, works in limited release, and innovated the entire industry in Japan. He has an intuition regarding the spirit, he’s an artist!
I’m currently obsessed with Ichiro’s malt, malt & grain whisky. It is a blend of whiskey/whisky from Scotland, Canada, Ireland US, and Japan. They all age in their respective countries then Ichiro blends them together to age in Japan. It’s so crazy and tasty.
Hakushu 12
Freddy Concepcion Ucan Tuz, bartender at JW Marriott in Cancun, Mexico
Hakushu 12-Year-old whisky. The surroundings and how the whisky is crafted in the mountains — just two and a half hours away from Tokyo — make it stand out. Melted snow is used in the process of distilling the whisky and the casks are made of Japanese wood, which gives the whisky a smoky and sweet flavor.
It’s great to drink straight, as it’s very well crafted. Sadly, it’s not as well-known as other famous and high producing distilleries.
Suntory Toki
Wesley MacDonald, owner of Caña Bar and Kitchen in Curaçao
Due to less aged stock among others, Japanese whisky tends to be more expensive, especially single malt, making it more difficult to name a favorite, as trying the best will cost you the most. Start with more economical blended whiskies and move up to single malts. Single grain whiskies are well made and tasty, though very light and more suited for highballs.
One of the best whiskies for a highball is Toki. This very smooth, blended whisky is perfect to drink on its own as well.
Nikka
Juyoung Kang, lead bartender at The Dorsey in Las Vegas
Nikka, they make a great line of whiskies with different styles and techniques, but everyone still goes hunting for Yamazaki 12 Year or Hibiki. Almost everything Suntory makes seems to be an instant success and as a result of that success, sometimes hard to find, but Nikka is a great alternative.
Suntory has been in the Japanese whisky game as long as Suntory but Nikka just really knows how to make whisky.
Writer’s Picks:
Ohishi
Ohishi is made in the style of Scotch whisky, but its made with malted and un-malted rice instead of the usual barley. The result is a much sweeter whisky, with hints of cinnamon and cloves. They up the ante by aging some of the varieties in sherry and brandy casks.
Kikori
This is the kind of Japanese whisky serious Scotch drinkers should seek out. It’s reasonably priced at around $50 per bottle and full of flavors of vanilla, coconut milk, and tropical fruits with a subtly spicy finish.
Earlier this week, Steven Victor, the manager of the late Pop Smoke, revealed in a statement that over the next year unreleased records would be shared in order to “build Pop Smoke’s legacy.” Victor also added that announcements regarding music projects and his foundation would be made in partnership with his estate. While new music from Pop Smoke has yet to arrive through his estate, fans of the late Brooklyn rapper have been granted the opportunity to hear his voice once again thanks to his placements on new albums by Nav and Lil Tjay.
Beginning with Nav, Pop Smoke returns the collaboration favor on their track, “Run It Up.” The song lands on Nav’s third album, Good Intentions and follows their “Wolves” track off the deluxe version of Pop Smoke’s Meet The Woo 2. Aside from the Pop Smoke feature, Good Intentions is an 18-track effort led by “Turks” that sports guest appearances from Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Future, Don Toliver, and more.
As for Lil Tjay, Pop Smoke also returns the collaboration favor for the South Bronx rapper after the two connected on “Mannequin,” also from Meet The Woo 2. Appearing on Tjay’s State Of Emergency project, the track finds the two New York-bred artists join forces on “Zoo York” which also contains an appearance from fellow New Yorker Fivio Foreign. A shorter project compared to Nav’s album, Tjay delivers a 7-track project with help from Jay Critch, J.I. The Prince Of NY, and more. Lil Tjay also honored Pop Smoke following his death with his “Forever Pop.”
Press play on the videos above to hear Pop Smoke’s latest songs.
Good Intentions is out now via XO and Republic. Get it here.
State Of Emergency is out now via Columbia. Get it here.
Kehlani’s sophomore album, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, has been a long time coming. However, in the midst of that wait, the Oakland-born singing made sure fans did not feel the wait of her forthcoming project. From her 2019 EP While We Wait to the many singles she shared since 2017’s SweetSexySavage, which include “Valentine’s Day,” “All Me,” “Toxic,” and “Everybody’s Business,” Kehlani has continued to work on It Was Good Until It Wasn’t while keeping her fans more than satisfied in the progress. Now that the album has arrived, one of its most anticipated tracks has emerged as an early favorite.
Supplying our ears with a much-needed west coast connection, Kehlani and Jhene Aiko joined forces on “Change Your Life.” The song serves as the first collaboration between the R&B stars who both call California home. On the track, Kehlani and Jhene look to convince their love interest to allow them to be apart of their life. Citing no issues with their current lifestyles, Kehlani and Jhene aim to only improve their love interest’s days and nights.
The track and the album arrived after Kehlani was accused of colorism by fellow west coast rapper Kamaiyah after Kehlani removed her verse from her “All Me” single.
It Was Good Until It Wasn’t is out now via Atlantic Records. Get it here.
Press play on “Change Your Life” here.
Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Following his comeback single and its accompanying album Changes, Justin Bieber has spent 2020 sporadically sharing videos from the album. Switching things up a bit, Bieber caused quite the commotion after he said he has a “special announcement” in store for later in the week. Ariana Grande added to the announcement by teasing her own involvement in the effort. Keeping to that promise, Bieber and Grande revealed that the special announcement was a collaboration, “Stuck With U.” Since the announcement, Bieber has been sharing videos of fans enjoying the moment together with their fellow loved ones after he made the song’s instrumental available in order for his fans to be part of its promotion.
In the announcement, Bieber revealed that “proceeds from the sales and streams of #StuckwithU will fund grants and scholarships for children of first responders who have been impacted by COVID-19.” The effort comes with help from SB Projects and Universal Music Group in partnership with First Responders Children’s Foundation. Labeling the song as “the prom song for everyone who can’t go to prom now,” the new track celebrates spending time with your loved ones as it incorporates the videos they received from fans into the song’s official music video. Showcasing their own quarantine habits, Ariana gets cozy with her dog while Bieber enjoys time with his wife. The song marks the second time the two have collaborated with the first being Grande’s remix of Bieber’s “What Do You Mean.”
Watch the video above to hear “Stuck With U.”
Read our review of Bieber’s Changes here.
While Future and Young Thug have been heavyweights on the southern rap scene for years now, Moneybagg Yo has taken his position as a notable talent on the Memphis scene over the last year. His Time Served album from January is only proof of the improvement portrayed in his career. Uniting as one on their latest track, Young Thug, Future, and Moneybagg Yo connect on “Blue Jean Bandit.”
Flowing over production from TM88 and Southside, Young Thug, Future, and Moneybagg Yo each grace the track with a verse of their own, while Young Thug places an eccentric hook in between each verse. The song originally surfaced last year and on the original version, Young Thug was the lone vocal artist on the track which still featured production from TM88 and Southside.
The track arrives days after Moneybagg Yo announced a deluxe version of Time Served would arrive next week May 15. Future and Young Thug recently shared space on a song as they both appeared on Drake’s “D4L” off his Dark Lane Demo Tapes project. Future and Young Thug have also shared releases of their own with Future joining Lil Baby and RMR for “Dealer (Remix)” while Young Thug connected with Chris Brown for their Slime And B project.
Press play on the video above to hear “Blue Jean Bandit.”
Restaurant Wars returned to Top Chef this week, and guess what? I, your humble power ranker, was there. Sharp-eyed viewers would’ve seen me make my Bravo debut as “unkempt man who enjoys desserts.”
This is my brand now, I welcome it. Note the heavy pour on the wine glass. I kept the jacket on so you wouldn’t see my pit stains (I’m a sweaty one). We call that “professionalism.” Brian Malarkey waited on us. Here’s a picture of us looking like we just fell in love:
What can I say, I get all dreamy around anyone who brings me Haitian food and drinks, especially if it’s a man with extremely high pant cuffs. Okay, that’s probably enough inside baseball (for now).
This week’s Restaurant Wars pitted Kevin Gillespie’s “Country Captain,” a restaurant that he modeled after fancy parties at his mee-maw’s house — in order to celebrate “the cuisine of the plantation south,” (whoa, Kev, ixnay on the antation-play, don’t you remember what happened a few seasons ago-fay?) against Gregory Gourdet’s Kann, a Haitian concept named after the local word for sugar cane. Would Restaurant Wars punish last week’s winners by forcing upon them the high-risk position of executive chef?
The short answer… sort of. As TopChefStats notes, the Restaurant War executive chef is the most likely to be sent home, but it’s a tie with front of the house manager, and only one ahead of line cook (not exactly a definitive statistical advantage). The breakdown for who wins are identical.
The chefs chose teams and divvied responsibilities, prepared their spaces, and did a service, all in just 48 hours. That seems impressive. But then again, what do we care? Take six weeks if you want, the show’s still only going to be about an hour.
With only one challenge for the whole episode, it was an opportunity to gin up some classic drrrama (with a capital RRR), which began with Team Kann pilfering Team Country Captain’s tableware (more on that below). It continued with Chef Lee Anne hulking out on some temp servers. Meanwhile, the most obnoxious part of Restaurant Wars remains the part where Padma has to spell her last name for the hostess. “Yes, reservation for Lakshmi? L-A-K…”
Right, I’m sure the 8-foot tall supermodel whose cleavage you can see from space needs an introduction. Oh right, I wondered why you were surrounded by all those cameras.
Anyway, enough preamble. To the rankings!
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POWER RANKINGS
8. (-5) ((Eliminated)) Kevin Gillespie
AKA: Hops. Aka Oops All Kevins. Aka Bachelor Fried Rice. Aka Thicc Kev. Aka Speech.
Thicc Kev was the Captain of Team Country Captain, which unfortunately slammed into an iceberg. Kevin took the noble way out and went down with the ship, if we were to believe Kevin.
Tom asked Kevin straight out if anyone should go home besides him. At which point Kevin launched into a speech worthy of the Oscar sequence from Wayne’s World.
“The monologue inside my head was my grandmother saying ‘you give them everything you can and then you give them more because that’s what you’re supposed to do with your guests,’” said Kevin. “To be very candid with you, I was raised to stand in front of your mistakes and own them for what they are. Frankly, I couldn’t live with myself if I tried to throw anybody under the bus to save myself.”
Damn, dog, nice speech. Did you just create your own personal lost cause myth? That’s some good martyring. Kevin’s about to receive 72 virgin daiquiris in Top Chef heaven for that sacrifice (is that enough borderline offensive analogies or should I try to squeeze in a Nazi one somehow?).
Might as well toot your own noble horn though, because after a season looking like a three or four seed almost the entire time, Kevin went home for something that ultimately did seem like his fault. The challenge seemed to turn on:
1. Kevin’s centerpiece “country captain” dish not tasting as good as it did the first time (possibly due to not being able to find the same curry powder). High expectations are a bitch. I suppose we could blame him for not making his own curry spice blend, but that seems cruel.
2. Bry Guy Voltaggio’s shrimp over grits dish eating more like an entree than a side. It was supposed to be shrimp gravy, but if you give Bry Voltage that kind of latitude, of course he’s going to cook up some $100 seafood dish fit for a sultan.
3. Karen’s weak-ass mushrooms — possibly due to her having to run ragged as the FOH manager with not enough time to prep servers.
4. Not enough banana in the banana pudding. You fools! I need more banana!
5. Grandmotherly decor and a tacky-ass menu that looked “very 80s Miami Vice,” according to the judges. I know this is a cooking competition but it’s all for naught if you can’t choose a font.
Which is to say, Kevin probably could’ve easily blamed Karen on the way out (weak dish, weak FOH management) and he might’ve gotten away with it. Was his only crime not micromanaging enough? Instead, he graciously took the blame and instantly got his honorable head lopped off like Ned Stark. C’mon, man, this show never rewards moral grandstanding. I’m with the judges on this one. You want to go home? Go home. I don’t want to see big speeches and people cooking the “right” way. Give me chef Draymond Green, throwing elbows and wanging Lebron in the ding dong. If you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t tryin’, that’s what I say. What are you, here to make friends?
Though in the end, it does seem fitting that the Southerner went home for an overabundance of feeexins.
For the record, I would eat the hell out of everything Thicc Kev cooked this season.
7. (+1) Lee Anne Wong
AKA: Frazzle. Aka Loud Mom. Aka 911. Aka The Teflon Wong. Aka Chefzilla.
When the going gets tough the tough get mean, that’s Lee Anne’s motto. Lee Anne has been clawing her way back into contention these past few weeks but seemed to almost snipe her way back to the bottom mid-service this week when she started to Chefzilla out on the temp wait staff for not having their orders organized. Damn, I thought she was about to toss one out of a helicopter as a warning to the others.
Seeing an impending disaster, the C-Monster volunteered to take over expediting duties and Chef Gregory swiftly made the swap, feelings be damned. The outcome and the editors at least would have us believe it was the right decision.
So where does Lee Anne stand now? She probably should’ve gone home four episodes ago, but I have to say: I ate Lee Anne’s food. She didn’t do anything especially fancy, or as impressive as that whole fish, but her salad and upside-down cake were the tastiest parts of the meal. If only Lee Anne can keep her heart rate down, she might keep this runaway truck on the road.
6. (even) Karen Akunowicz
AKA: Good Witch. Aka Glenda. Aka Aunt Kitty. Aka Rosie The Triveter
Not exactly a strong showing for the Good Witch this week but maybe that was because of Kevin and all his god damned feeexins. There was a big pileup in the dining room. Maybe Karen should’ve been better about tossing those lollygagging customers out on their asses after their meals were over, who knows. Let this be a lesson to the aspiring restauranteurs out there, the customer is always scum. Treat them like the dogs they are and they will beg you for treaty treats.
5. (+2) Stephanie Cmar
AKA: C-Monster. Aka Underdog. Aka C-Truffle.
C-Monster has seemed like an also-ran for most of this season and still does, but you have to hand it to her for this episode. She stepped in before Lee Anne could go full Karen and demand to speak to her own manager (the proverbial Karen, not the literal chef named Karen). Steph’s quick thinking may not have saved the team but it certainly helped. She faithfully executed Gregory’s fried plantains and fish patties, but we’re left to wonder: is Stephanie at her best when taking orders?
4. (+1) Brian Malarkey
AKA: Shenanigans. Aka Grandpa Fancy. Aka Squirrely. Aka The Imp. Aka Leprechón.
Another strong showing for Shenanigans this week in another challenge that seemed perfectly suited to his skill set. He skipped through the dining room using his leprechaun magic to convince us that we actually were on “Island Time” and it totally worked. Slow service? Nah, we were just relaxin’!
On the one hand, I can’t believe how far back Shenanigans has climbed after being so close to going home, but on the other, it doesn’t surprise me that someone with ADHD as intense as his thrives in a chaotic environment. Also, his outfit was even more magnificent in person. As my editor Steve wrote when I sent him the pictures, “Has there ever been a person more likely to wear a boater hat? Like you could travel the world hanging out with Harold Hill from Music Man and the gondoliers of Venice, and when they stumbled into this guy they’d all deferentially hand over their boater hats.”
He also may have torpedoed team Country Captain by casually stealing their entire place settings. Things got so heated that Kevin even called Malarkey “chintzy.” Holy shit! Back on mee-maw’s plantation them’s fightin’ words! I couldn’t tell whether this was calculated or if Shenanigans’ just assumed the dish place was laid out under IKEA rules. It looked like he maybe just assumed Kevin’s place setting was a showroom display.
As for the service, do we give Malarkey the credit for the roasted snapper that he theoretically cooked (which was wonderful, incidentally), or credit it to Gregory who probably handled more of the execution while Shenanigans was out glad-handing? Hard to say. But if Shenanigans makes it to the finale it would be the comeback to end all comebacks.
3. (+1) Bryan Voltaggio
AKA: Flatbill Dad. Aka Bry Voltage. Aka Kyle Shanahan. Aka Linkin Clark Griswold. Aka Family Bry.
This picture of Family Bry looking terrified kind of says it all. He seemed to smell disaster at every turn — too many dishes, not a focused enough menu, not enough time spent training the front of the house staff. I think he used the word “uneasy” 17 times. Can’t you listen to your dad? Listen to your dad! Bry Guy barely had time to let out a husky dad laugh. Easily my favorite part of the show this season.
Yet for all his Monday Morning Quarterbacking, it was partly his dish, the shrimp over grits, that was responsible for Kevin going home. You fool, that was supposed to be a fixin, not a share plate at the French Laundry! C’mon, Bry, no one likes a showboat. Act like you’ve been there before. That’s like number five on the list of 1o dad commandments, right after “if you haven’t put on a sweater don’t fiddle with the thermostat” and “time to lean, time to clean.”
Was it sabotage? Maybe this whole Linkin Clark Griswold thing act is just a cover.
2. (even) Melissa King
AKA: Zen Master. Aka Dimples. Aka Shutterstock.
And then there was Melissa, casually cooking all the most well-received components of her team. Does she ever make mistakes? She’s a machine. It doesn’t even matter what team she’s on, she just breezes right through.
1. (even) Gregory Gourdet
AKA: Kravitz. Aka Hepcat. Aka Lids. Aka Pollos Hermanos.
Only Gregory could conceive and basically control everyone’s dish without being seen as a micromanager. It’s the same way he can pull off a fringed leather vest, he just has something special. Gregory made all the right moves this episode, pulling strings like a maestro. Brian Malarkey as your first pick!? Are you insane?! And then Gregory made him front of the house manager and looked like a genius. Lee Anne hulking out on the service? Replaced instantly. There is no room for bad vibes on the USS Gregory.
Later when Gregory was talking about the sugar cane man shouting his wares with the smell of smoke in the air and the feel of an ocean breeze in your face I thought I was going to tear up. I’ve never even been to Haiti. Now that’s how you brand story. I can’t decide if I’m happy or sad that no one acknowledged the potential symbolism of the successful-slave-rebellion cuisine defeating the Plantation Cuisine. Chef Eric probably would’ve pointed it out. Restaurant Toussaint Louverture?
It didn’t even matter that, the way I tasted it, one of Gregory’s dishes (the chicken thigh) was the weakest of the service. He had the clearest vision, it was pretty obvious. Gregory isn’t a stone-cold lock but it feels like his competition to lose.
Vince Mancini is on Twitter. Read more of his cooking commentary and mom jokes in UPROXX’s Cooking Battles. For past Top Chef Power Rankings, go here.