April 1st Is Japanese Whisky Day! Celebrate with Umesky

April 1st Is Japanese Whisky Day!

4月1日是日本的威士忌日!

Japanese Whisky Day was established on 1 April by the Japan Whisky Research Centre, which conducts research, collects and disseminates information on whisky. The aim of this anniversary is to make people widely aware of its history, production methods, differences from whiskies from other countries and taste characteristics, as well as to encourage more people to drink Japanese whisky, which is highly regarded throughout the world.

日本威士忌研究中心(Japan Whisky Research Centre) 把4月1日设定为威士忌日，其目的旨在研究、收集和宣传关威士忌相关信息。这个纪念日的目的是让人们广泛了解日本威士忌的历史、生产方法、与其他国家产的威士忌的不同之处和口味特点，同时鼓励更多的人喝到在世界上备受推崇的日本威士忌。

Whisky is believed to have been brought into Japan at the same time as the opening of the country to the outside world at the end of the Edo period. At first, full-scale production was not possible in Japan and imitations were made exclusively.

威士忌是在江户末期日本对外开放时传入日本的。起初，日本不能在自己生产，只是仿制。

Later, Masataka Taketsuru (later founder of Nikka Whisky) learnt whisky production methods in Scotland, and Kotobukiya (now Suntory) began domestic production. It was on 1 April 1929 that Kotobukiya began selling the product under the trade name Suntory Whisky (commonly known as "Shirofuda" or white label). Therefore, 1 April is considered to be an important anniversary for Japanese whisky. And the best way to celebrate this day is, of course, sipping on Japanese whisky!

后来，竹鹤正孝(后来的Nikka威士忌创始人)在苏格兰学习了威士忌的生产方法，他受雇的寿屋(现三得利)开始在日本生产。1929年4月1日，寿屋开始以三得利威士忌(通常被称为“白札”或白色标签)的商标名销售该产品。因此，4月1日被认为是日本威士忌的重要纪念日。庆祝这一天最好的方式当然是畅饮日本威士忌喽!

Celebrate with Umesky!

用Umesky来庆祝吧！

Saburomaru Distillery stands at the site of a famous Japanese sake brewing company, Wakatsuru Shuzo in Toyama. With high season of brewing Japanese sake being in winter,  most sake craftspeople lose their jobs during hot seasons. However, Wakatsuru Shuzo broke the tradition, as they hired craftsmen as full-time workers and started distilling whiskey to generate jobs for them.

三郎丸威士忌厂隶属于富山县著名的日本清酒酿造公司若鹤酒造。冬季是日本清酒酿造的旺季，大多数清酒工匠都会在炎热的季节失业。然而，若鹤酒造打破了传统，他们雇佣工匠作为全职工人，并开始蒸馏威士忌，为他们创造就业机会。

Wakatsuru Shuzo Umesky is a unique blend of whisky and ume fruits. Every July unripe ume is steeped in the whisky made in the distillery, slowly drawing out the sweetness and sourness of ume. Ume is harvested in Toyama Prefecture and it is steeped for around a year in the whisky. The result is hard to describe but the delicate aroma of ume and the smooth whiskey are the characteristics of Umesky. At the first sip, you will feel the acidity of ume (which is a little bit stronger that regular umeshu), and then the smooth taste of whisky will follow soon after.

若鹤酒造 Umesky是一款加入梅子的独特混合威士忌。每年七月，酿酒厂把未成熟的梅子被浸泡在基酒里，慢慢浸出梅子酸甜果香。这些产自富山县梅子，会在威士忌中浸泡一年左右。最终，微妙的果香和柔滑的威士忌完美融合。品一口，你首先会感受到梅子的酸甜(比普通梅子要浓一些)，随后威士忌的柔滑口感油然而生。