Highballs are the country’s preferred whisky serve, and Shay Waterworth finds they tick plenty of boxes for Western consumers too
Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, Mark Hamill and Dave Bautista all starred in the English-language version of The Boy and the Heron in 2023. The Japanese animation by Studio Ghibli became the first original anime to top the North American box office and generated the second highest revenue in UK cinemas after Pokémon. Today there are more than 10 anime and manga shops in central London with legendary retailer Animate opening for the first time last year. Japanese culture is thriving right now in Europe, and so too is whisky.
According to Market Reports World: “In 2024, exports of Japanese whisky reached 43,651 million yen – whisky represented 34.6% of total Japanese alcoholic beverage export value that year. Exports in 2023 had already risen to 12.9 million litres globally from 2.7 million litres in 2013, indicating sustained global demand over a decade.”
Furthermore, both Kakubin and Torys – the only two Japanese whisky brands which sell more than 1 million 9-litre cases a year – both showed growth in 2025 on the previous year, according to Drinks International’s The Millionaires’ Club. The popularity of Japanese whisky is evident in the World’s Best Bars too, with six of the 10 bestselling world whiskies in the Brands Report coming from Japan.
“This movement coincides with a huge rise in Japanese influence in Europe. Anime shops are popping up all over London, and I can see big whisky brands spending a lot,” says Martyn ‘Simo’ Simpson, owner of All My Gods bar in London and former owner of whisky bars Dram and Milroy’s of Soho.
In late 2025 the historic Grand Sumo Tournament was also held in London and marked the first professional sumo event held outside of Japan in 34 years. The wrestlers were famous across the city for two weeks as they went sightseeing, shopping and rode Lime bikes. But it was also a huge opportunity for Suntory, which was a headline sponsor for the event. Simpson adds: “The likes of Suntory Toki and Nikka Days are pushing Highballs still. Nobody has any money right now so it’s a good fit for the market and it also fits for the younger generation with longer, lower-abv drinks.”
Highball movement
Having recently attended Pernod Ricard’s SIP Supernova cocktail competition in Japan and Kyoto, the prevalence of listening bars exclusively serving Highballs was stark. Now the major players are pushing it as whisky’s answer to the aperitivo/ spritz movement in Europe.
Toki-O Nights is a new activation for the UK market created by Suntory Toki and Technics, a Japanese audio brand, to curate eclectic vinyl-led events at bars across the country.
“Toki-O Nights brings together two rituals I have always loved: the Japanese Highball and the art of truly listening,” says Raffaele Di Monaco, UK House of Suntory brand ambassador. “The beauty of the Highball lies in its precision; it is crisp, refreshing and seemingly simple, but every detail matters. Paired with the atmosphere of Japan’s listening bar culture, it creates a moment that feels both considered and social. We’re excited to bring that energy to the UK through a series that celebrates Toki’s spirit of old meets new.”
Depending on who you ask, the Highball can be different things. In an interview with Ryan Chetiyawardana, legendary Japanese bartender Hidetsugu Ueno demonstrated the intricate process of making a Highball at his Bar High Five in Tokyo. The process involved using room-temperature ice, stirred down whisky, a specific pouring technique for the soda and a lemon twist.
Simpson adds: “Between you and me it’s just whisky and soda, but there’s definitely an added romance being Japanese and that element of craft. It’s also perfect for the market because we mainly just have blends or non age statement whiskies here.
“We all experienced this annoying boom a few years back, which meant the prices of Japanese whisky became unaffordable for everyone. I think now we’re seeing the birth of blended and non age statement whiskies in Europe because of the Highball movement.
“It’s funny because in Scotch it’s all about numbers. Marketing in Scotch is all about pushing the old stuff and then offering a more affordable, younger whisky under the same name,” Simpson continues. “Whereas for Japanese whisky you never really got any age statements in the UK or Europe anyway, and when you did it wasn’t affordable. So, our market accepts this but still loves it.”
Japanese whisky brands have the ultimate serve which every spirits category should be jealous of. Simply serving it with soda water over ice, you have a low-abv, low-calorie, spritz-style drink with the mystique of Japanese culture. It requires minimal bartender knowledge, is off-trade friendly, and it only demands young liquid.
It’s the Lotto double rollover for a spirits category and therefore no surprise to see the big brands investing.
