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SPIRITS OF JAPANLand · Water · Time
ENJA
Barrels lining both sides of a brick-vaulted wine cellar tunnel

CRAFT — 熟成

Cask, jar, bottle, cellar. Time is an ingredient too.

Photo: Eric Kilby / CC BY-SA 2.0

  1. 01

    Cask

    Whisky matures in wooden casks. The wood, what the cask held before and where it rests all shape how it matures.

  2. 02

    Clay jar

    Awamori rested long in clay jars and other vessels becomes kusu. The practice of shitsugi tops up older jars with younger spirit.

  3. 03

    Bottle and cellar

    Wine, sake and shochu may also be stored or aged before release — the length and method differ by maker and by product.

APPLIES TO

SOURCES

  1. 1ウイスキーにおけるジャパニーズウイスキーの表示に関する基準日本洋酒酒造組合 Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association · Industry body · accessed 2026-09-26
  2. 2泡盛ってどんなお酒沖縄県酒造組合 Okinawa Prefecture Distillers Association · Industry body · accessed 2026-09-26

PHOTO CREDITS

All image credits →
  1. 1Barrel cellar — Eric Kilby · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons