The burgeoning popularity of Japanese whiskies can be credited to the growing number of awards the whisky-drinking world keeps throwing at them – and deservedly so. But they also tend to be from the two giants of Japan’s distilling scene: Suntory (Yamazaki, Hibiki and Hakushu) and Nikka (Taketsuru, Yoichi and Miyagikyo).

All that is changing as smaller distilleries are gaining a cult following for their equally delicious but trendier and rarer offerings. A bottle of Karuizawa that would have gone for S$1,800 (RM5,600) two years ago would probably cost S$6,500 (RM20,000) today. We explore the three Japanese distilleries responsible for some of the most ferociously sought-after bottles in the world, and what makes them so.