Spirits of Japan

A tasting club · UK

Rare spirits from Japan,four times a year.

A seasonal box of three small bottles from distilleries Britain has never met. Taste them, then buy the ones you love in full.

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Why us

The whiskies nobody else is bringing.

Twenty years ago I left Japan for Britain, and married a Scotsman who loved whisky. I wanted him to taste the whisky of my own country, so I began taking him back to Japan with me. Not to the famous distilleries, but to the small family houses down quiet roads, many of them sake brewers for generations who had lately begun making whisky, gin and shochu of their own.

Most have never sold a bottle in Britain. They are too small for the big importers to notice, which is exactly why they are worth finding.

Spirits of Japan is twenty years of those friendships, brought to a table in Britain. It began at that table, with a few friends who kept asking where they could buy what we had just poured. Between us we know Japan, we know how to move things across the world, and we know how to build the thing you are reading now. So we stopped talking about it and started importing.

Each season I choose a few of these makers, tell you their story, and let you taste them side by side. The ones you love, you can buy in full. I would rather send you three bottles you remember than a shelf you forget.

Keiko

The other half of the story

We are building this with Japan’s small houses.

Keiko’s friendships only matter if distillers want a partner they can trust: someone who opens the UK without the export headache, tells their story properly, and turns a tasting into real full-bottle demand — not another anonymous shelf.

If you make spirits in Japan, or know a house that should be here, this page is for you.

For distillers →

How we choose

What arrives

Taste first, buy after.

  1. Join the list

    Free. No card, no commitment.

  2. Your box arrives

    Three small bottles. Taste them in your own time.

  3. Buy what you loved

    Full bottles at member price. One, two, or all three.

A community of lovers

This is a club, not a subscription you forget. A standing community of people who love what Japan quietly makes, sharing the bottles, the notes, rooms across the UK, and once a year, Japan itself. The box is only how it starts.

300 founding places

Join the list

We open when the first distilleries are signed. Founding members keep their number, their guest, and first pick of everything.

One short note a month from Japan. Nothing else.

You’re on the list.

We’ll write when the doors open.

Questions

Can I buy all three full bottles?

Yes. Taste all three, buy all three. The tasting is there to help you choose, not to ration you.

Why such small bottles?

So you can find out what you like before spending £50 on a full bottle. 200 ml is two proper glasses: enough to know.

When does the first box ship?

When the first distilleries are signed. We would rather be slow than pour something ordinary. You will see what is in the box before you pay anything.

I don’t know shochu at all.

Good. That is the point. Every bottle comes with its story, and you taste before you ever buy a full one.

Is this a whisky investment?

No. Everything we sell is for drinking. We make no promises about value and never will.

Where do you deliver?

The UK, to adults only. Age is checked at the door. Europe later.

What does it cost to join?

The list is free. Boxes are £99 each, and you can stop any time.