Brighton Japan Festival

Andrew Kay indulges in Japanese Whiskey at the Brighton Japan Festival

Oh, show me the way to the next whiskey bar, no don’t ask why! No really, don’t ask me why.

Kurt Weill might have written a witty tune and Berthold Brecht a fun lyric, but whiskey needs to be taken pretty seriously, especially if, like me, you are a mere amateur, an occasional indulger.


The Brighton Japan Festival is staged each year by those clever chaps at Moshimo. How they manage to run Brighton’s most successful Japanese eatery, an internationally acclaimed art project called Fish Love to promote the sustainable fishing movement and this massive cultural event beggars belief – but they do.

I was already exhausted from ten days of work at the Brighton and Hove Food Festival, but after Japanese Whiskey expert Dave had appeared on the Live Food Stage I was determined not to miss his full evening of high spirits and delicious food in the festival’s main pavilion. Sponsored by Suntory Whiskey, Japan’s leading distillery. Make no mistake, Japanese whiskey it no “Mickey Mouse” spirit. It is internationally acclaimed, as is Mickey Mouse
I guess, and quite rightly so, for both of them.

I was joined by Mr C for the evening, a first culinary outing with me, and not an easy introduction as it was going to be a heavy night. I was certainly sure that the food would be excellent, and it was, from start to finish we experienced the highest standard of Japanese cuisine that had the visiting Japanese experts bowing in respect. I particularly loved the sushi and sashimi, the fine miso soup and a stunning deep fried then pickled sardine. The salmon was great too as was the dessert, but the dessert might have been a dish too far when set against the fine array of spirits that Mr Broom was going to talk about and have us taste.

Now I suspect that few of us would consider an evening of foods matched to Scotch Whiskeys, a hefty concept, but somehow we were all gung-ho for this oriental event. And quite right we were too.

We started out with cocktails, highballs, whiskey made long with good ice, soda and a sprig of mint. A great drink, serious and grown up but long and refreshing, unusual in the work of cocktails in my opinion. It was the introduction of soda and long drinks that has made whiskey the cocktail drink of choice in Japan, and amazing volumes of it can be consumed in the many small bars that exist there.

At our tables we found four glasses with drinks already poured and covered with watch glasses to keep them good. We started to dine and with our first course we tasted the Hakushu 12 year old, a pale golden drink that was soft and delicate, no fire to speak of but a subtle warm glow and a refreshing nose. It worked so well with the sushi and sashimi.

Our next was Hibiki 12 year old, darker in colour and in flavour but with a fruitiness that lasted in the mouth and sat very well with the miso soup dotted with fish. I loved it too with the exquisite pickled sardine. Mr C was doing well too although made no effort to tackle a fish cooked on the bone with a small pair of wooden chopsticks.
Next to try was the Yamazaki 12 year old. This really was a golden drink and needs to match the sweet and savoury complexities of the salmon cooked with a terryaki glaze. It was an amazing match, spicy, long on the palate and with soft, almost buttery overtones. I wanted more and luckily more was to be had as a few of the less hardy guests were already falling by the wayside.

The final course was a hefty chocolate mousse, seriously dark and deep and velvety. It was perhaps the easiest of matches, but at the same time it required something that would live up to the challenge. Yamazaki more than did, a dark and devilishly delicious drink that I sipped slowly, savouring every last drop.

I’m a convert, which is a shame as Japanese whiskey comes at a price, but then again this is a drink to be savoured alone or with an intimate friend and never to be glugged en masse, except if you happen to be lucky enough to encounter Dave Broom in a Japanese bar.

Moshimo, The Opticon, Bartholomew Square, Brighton, BN1 1JS,
01273 719195, www.moshimo.co.uk and www.fishlove.co.uk
Photography: courtesy of www.matthewandrews.co.uk

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