Kurayoshi Whisky
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Kurayoshi is a Japanese whisky brand from Matsui Shuzo in Tottori Prefecture, on Japan’s Sea of Japan coast. The company has roots in sake and shochu production dating back to 1910, with whisky forming part of a wider spirits portfolio that also includes The Matsui single malts, gin and liqueurs.
The Kurayoshi range is best understood through blending, maturation and water rather than as the output of a long-established malt distillery. Several expressions have historically combined Japanese whisky with malt whisky sourced from Scotland, then blended, matured or finished in Japan using water associated with the Mount Daisen area. As with a number of modern Japanese whisky brands, the exact classification is worth checking bottle by bottle.
The line-up includes Kurayoshi Pure Malt, Sherry Cask, 8 Year Old, 12 Year Old and 18 Year Old, alongside related Tottori blended whiskies and limited releases. Flavour profiles tend towards malt sweetness, vanilla, dried fruit, toasted nuts, spice and soft oak, with sherry and other cask influences adding richness to the lighter core style.
Kurayoshi occupies a nuanced place in Japanese whisky: internationally visible, attractively packaged and often approachable, but also part of the wider conversation about transparency and origin in the category. For drinkers, it is most rewarding when approached as a Japanese-blended or world-whisky-style expression shaped by cask work, soft water and a gentle, accessible profile.
