The Asian Spirits Masters 2024 results

Spirits made in Asia are taking off in a big way, as our annual blind-tasting competition showed. The Asian Spirits Masters judges were impressed by the elegance of the expressions that were put before them.

In its 2023 insights report, Master of Malt found Asian spirits were among its fastest-growing categories. According to the online retailer, Asian spirits have seen serious growth, with whisky, liqueurs, shochu, baijiu, and other spirits from Japan, China, India, Taiwan and Thailand all on an upward trajectory between 2020 and 2022.

Between these years, Japanese whisky grew by 6.4% for the retailer. Shochu, by comparison, grew by more than a quarter (28%) during the same period. Indian gin, meanwhile, soared by 134% between 2021 and 2022.

With demand seemingly on the rise in overseas markets, The Asian Spirits Masters provides a snapshot of the products that are available from that part of the world. Importantly, it gives an indication on the level of quality coming from the region.

Nicola Carruthers, deputy editor of The Spirits Business, chaired the panel of judges for this tasting, which took place at London’s Experimental Cocktail Club. She was accompanied by: Anne Jones, director of Limestone and Jones; Richard Legg, founder of Distilled Knowledge; Matt Chambers, spirits writer, and co-founder of the Whisky For Everyone blog; and Ruchira Neotia, drinks consultant and founder of Neo Margarita.

First up was Vodka Made in Asia, a flight that delivered a Gold medal for Ukiyo Rice Vodka. Jones found this to be “pretty aromatic and gently floral”, with “the sweetness of a rice base and lovely texture”.

The judges did not have long to wait until they uncovered the first Master winner of the day. Discovered in the Gin Made in Asia Flight, the top award went to 135° East Hyogo Dry Gin. “Very delicate and balanced flavours between spicy botanicals and lighter floral notes,” said Legg. “Pleasant mouthfeel and a long, balanced finish.”

Seven Gold medals and two Silvers were also celebrated in the second flight. Gold winners included: Portal Gin from East Side Distillery, enjoyed for its “classic juniper nose” and “big, characterful palate”; and Tanglin Black Powder, with “aromas of lemon, tea and spice, juniper and citrus”.

Chambers said: “I think it shows the wide range of what is possible. We ended up with a big flight that pushed in different directions. More traditional styles performed well.”

In the Agave Spirits Made in Asia heat, Maya Pistola Agavepura collected two Gold medals and a pair of Silvers. The Gold medals went to “vegetal, sweet and smooth” Maya Pistola Agavepura Joven, and “sweet, vanilla” Maya Pistola Agavepura Añejo. The judges felt excited about the possibilities that could come from this category: “I think they all have real potential,” noted Chambers.

Afterwards, the judges took on a flight of Rum Made in Asia, which presented another Master medallist: Tanduay Overproof Rum. This expression was celebrated for “gentle vanilla and muscovado sugar on the nose”, leading to “complexity and elegance” on the palate, with “oak spice and layers of fruit”.

Among the four Gold medallists, Cambodia’s Samai Kampot Pepper Rum made a lasting impression on the panellists. “Hat tip to the kampot pepper,” said Chambers. “This was particularly nice.”

“Rum has been revered in Asian countries for a long time,” said Neotia. “A lot of the Caribbean influence has come through. It’s maintained a consistency but has the ability to showcase some very unique characters to that part of the world.”

Four Silver medals completed the rum round, including a trio of medals for Nusa Caña rums from Indonesia.

In the Japanese whisky heat, a pair of Gold medals were collected by Kaikyō Distillery. The awards went to “pretty” Hatozaki Finest Blended, which had a “gentle palate and finish”, and “delicate, bright and slightly fruity” Hatozaki Small Batch Pure Malt.

“They were both good and showed credible promise,” said Chambers. “This is probably a newer distillery; you’ll start seeing more products like this, slightly younger – and it’s great to see products of this quality already.”

The Shochu flight that followed also produced a duo of Gold medals, and one Silver award-winner. Legg described Gold-winning Nikaido Kitchom as having a “delicate, rounded flavour. Subtle floral element and gentle, rich mouthfeel.”

Gold-winning Otogo was found to be “floral and pretty with subtle blossom and cereal notes”. “These were both good examples, delicate styles,” said Legg.

The final flight of the tasting, Liqueurs Made in Asia, brought the final two Master medals as well. The first was awarded to Creamy Creation’s 5 Spice Cream Liqueur Concept 15% Vol. “Wow, this is insane,” said Jones. “Really interesting and surprisingly delicious. Well made, with enough citrus brightness.”

Chambers picked up multiple spice notes, such as “cinnamon, clove, aniseed”, and said the texture was “very creamy”.

Creamy Creation also collected two Gold medals for its Coffee Cardamom Brandy Cream Liqueur Concept 15% Vol, and Mango Carabao Rum Cream Liqueur Concept 15% Vol. “A lot of cream liqueur producers elsewhere could learn a lot from those three,” enthused Chambers. “Not too cloying, not too sweet, lovely balance of flavours.”

The second Master in the closing liqueur heat was awarded to Tanglin Triple Tangerine. The liqueur had a “zingy aroma, with fresh orange zest”. The palate brought “sweet tangerine and pithy orange notes – does exactly what you expect of it,” the judges noted.

Quality and versatility

It was a close call when choosing The Asian Spirits Taste Master 2024. But after reassessing the Master winners from the day, Tanduay Overproof Rum was selected as the deserving recipient.

“The stretch of both quality and versatility of spirits categories across Asia shows they’re able to work on every category and put their own spin on it,” Neotia reflected at the end of the tasting.

Jones shared a final takeaway from the day: “One interesting thing was that the most successful spirits were in an elegant style. Those expressions that had a nice delicacy to them were the ones that did well.”

The results of The Cognac Masters and The Brandy Masters were also published this week.