Tasting

Line up all four whiskies from Central Japan in the glass, and the first thing you notice is restraint. No peat smoke hits you right away, no alcohol bites up front. What remains is a soft, almost cool first impression, fitting for spirits born of mountain water.

Hakushu 12 Year Old shows this most clearly: green, almost minty, with a whisper of smoke in the background that never pushes forward. That comes from the blend of lightly peated and unpeated malt Suntory has been marrying there for decades, plus the soft granite water of the Minami Alps.

Chichibu's "The Peated" heads in the opposite direction: bold smoke, paired with a resinous sweetness many trace back to the Mizunara vessels where the mash ferments. For such a young, small distillery, it's a bold, distinctive statement that stands in sharp contrast to Hakushu's restraint.

Mars Komagatake, in turn, tastes like its elevation: fresh, with apple and pear, a touch sharp on the palate, almost like cold mountain air in a glass. The swinging climate at Komagatake seems to push the whisky through the cask just as quickly as it shapes its aroma.

The best way to try all three is neat, with a few drops of still water to open up the aromas without diluting them. Anyone comparing them side by side should start with the quietest, usually Hakushu, and work up to the boldest. That way the palate stays receptive to each new nuance.

A nosing glass with a narrow opening concentrates the subtle aromas better than a wide tumbler, especially with whiskies as restrained as these from Central Japan. Time helps too: after a few minutes in the glass, fruit and water notes come through more strongly than on the first sniff.