Specialist Japanese Whisky for the UK

A distribution system has been created to bring rare Japanese whisky to the UK.

The Number One Drinks Company will focus on smaller independent companies in Japan whose whiskies have only been available domestically, rather than sourcing well-known brands such as Suntory and Nikka. The first shipment will be single cask bottlings from the now defunct Hanyu distillery. A second shipment early next year will feature whiskies from several other distilleries.

The Number One Drinks Company is a joint venture between David Croll, a Tokyo-based whisky importer and distributor, and a former editor of Whisky Magazine, Marcin Miller. According to Miller "whisky enthusiasts are intrigued by Japanese whisky and tend to be very impressed when they get to taste them. The aim of the company is to make these excellent whiskies more readily available".

Due to the small size of the shipments, the single malts - including Ichiro's Malt Card series - will be available from whisky specialists such as The Whisky Exchange, Royal Mile Whiskies and Berry Bros & Rudd.