Over Johnnie Walker and Suntory? 5 countries giving Scottish single malts and Japanese whisky brands a run for their barley, from China to Switzerland

Nov 30 , 2021

Diageo is now planning to make whisky in China, just one unusual location starting to produce its own malts. Photo: Shutterstock

Johnnie Walker and Talisker producer Diageo is building a new distillery at Eryuan County in Yunnan province sure to put Chinese whisky on the map

Tasmania’s Sullivans Cove was named the world’s best whisky, India’s Amrut and Paul John brands are highly regarded and wine-loving France now boasts more than 40 distilleries

Whisky is a big business, and these days it’s about more than just world-famous brands like Scotland’s Johnnie Walker and Japan’s Suntory. Although these countries still produce much of the best whisky in the world, there’s an increasing number of other regions that have begun to cultivate their own whisky industry with impressive results.

But while the US – with its bourbon and the ridiculously rare and expensive Pappy Van Winkle – and Taiwan, with its award-winning Kavalan whisky, are relatively well known these days, there are some less familiar places getting in on the act. Here are five of the hottest new whisky-producing nations and regions to look out for.

China

This is one for the future. Nonetheless, Diageo – the company that owns the likes of Johnnie Walker, Lagavulin, The Singleton and Talisker – broke ground on the site of its first malt whisky distillery in China. Located in Eryuan County in Yunnan province. The Diageo Eryuan Malt Whisky Distillery will produce the brand’s first China-origin, single malt whisky.

Located more than 2,100 metres above sea level, the site of this 6.5-hectare (16-acre) distillery was selected for its temperate climate, rich natural biodiversity, and access to natural spring water from Erhai Lake, the second-largest highland lake in Yunnan. Diageo has promised that renewable and clean technologies will be used in the distillery to ensure it is carbon neutral, recycles all the water it uses, and is a zero-waste site.

With construction expected to begin in 2022, it’ll be a few years before whisky lovers get to sample this tipple, but the results are sure to be intriguing.

Switzerland

Switzerland is most often associated with luxurious chocolates and cuckoo clocks, not Alpine spirits. However, the country produces a surprisingly unique whisky at Appenzell, close to the eastern border next to Austria and Lichtenstein. Here, in the shadow of the Alps, Säntis Malt creates a range of whiskies. The unique twist here is that the distillery uses old oak barrels that formerly stored beer to age its product. This lends the whiskies here a unique flavour unlike any other. The Edition Dreifaltigkeit, with an aroma akin to barbecued meat, is especially worth a look.