Whisky Rising: a chat with author Stefan VanEycken (ep. 74)

INTRO

In episode 74 our host Stephen Lyman sits down with author of Whisky Rising, Stefan VanEycken in Tokyo. They discuss Stefan’s whisky journey, his book, and the state of Japanese whisky in 2024.

CREDITS

Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)

Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://uncannyjapan.com/)

HOSTS

CHRISTOPHER PELLEGRINI Vermont born and bred, long-time Tokyo resident and author of The Shochu Handbook, Christopher learned about delicious fermentations as a beer brewer at Otter Creek (Middlebury, VT). He now spends most of his waking hours convincing strangers that shochu and awamori are unlike anything they’ve ever tried before. 

STEPHEN LYMAN discovered Japan’s indigenous spirits at an izakaya in New York City. He was so enthralled that he now lives in Japan and works in a tiny craft shochu distillery every autumn. His first book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award.

Stephen and Christopher love fine whiskies regardless of where they are made, but rely 1st and foremost on Stefan for the latest info on Japanese whisky.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, please reach out to Stephen via Twitter or Instagram @JapanDistilled. We would love to hear from you. 

SHOW NOTES

Right Place, Right Time

Special Guest Stefan VanEycken

Belgium native Stefan VanEycken arrived in Japan at precisely the right time, because it was the wrong time to be a fan of Japanese whisky. A music educator, Stefan came to Japan to study music, but in his exploration of the country, he discovered whisky distilleries hidden plain sight.

He had a nose for the stuff having been a resident of Scotland before moving to Tokyo in 2000. He soon discovered the Hakushu Distillery and then the Karuizawa Distillery and others. These “dark ages” of Japanese whisky, when distilleries had either shuttered or were operating only seasonally or 1 to 2 days a week, opened up a world of possibility for Stefan who soon found himself writing for Nonjatta, the premier English language resource for Japanese whisky at the time.

During this time he was able to find affordable long age stated Japanese whiskies at a small fraction of what they command today. He and partner Chris Bunting guided Nonjatta through the glory days of the rise of Japanese whisky, but the information proved too valuable as other whisky writers, some of whom had never even visited Japan, began using their website to write about Japan’s whisky scene. The site was shuttered in 2020 with no eye toward restarting. The original articles do remain for perusal if you are interested.

Whisky Rising is Born

Stefan was finally convinced to write Whisky Rising, the first definitive guide to Japanese whisky ever written. This magnificent book was published in 2017 with a 2nd (and likely last) edition published in 2023 for the 100th anniversary of Japanese whisky making. At the time he was writing the 1st edition, there were fewer than 20 active whisky distilleries in Japan. By the time he was writing his 2nd, there were over 40. By sometime this year there will be over 100. The task of visiting all and writing a comprehensive guide has likely become far too difficult for one person.

Ghostly Bottles

With his access to distilleries at role at Nonjatta, Stefan began bottling private casks of whisky for Nonjatta readers and later for other fans of the category. Today his Ghost Series has climbed to more than 20 bottlings and even incomplete sets are commanding thousands of dollars. The fetishization of Japanese whisky does not appeal to Stefan, but given the state of whisky collectors and speculators, the trend does not seem to be ending anytime soon. He will continue to bottle ghost series bottles and try to democratize how they are distributed (a recent bottling was only available via lottery after qualifying for a stamp rally by visiting a number of whisky bars throughout Japan).

Much More to Explore

Stefan is not easy to find on social media, but if you would like to follow his work, he writes for Whisky Magazine UK and Whisky Magazine France. Our co-host Stephen admits, he’s kind of jealous of Stefan for avoiding social entirely.

Kanpai & Aloha!