Japanese Whisky

Japanese Whisky belongs to a small but growing tradition of Japanese black teas, a departure from the country's better-known green tea craft. What sets this one apart is the smoking process, which draws on the same peat character that defines Japanese whisky making. Peat, the partially decayed plant matter harvested from bogs, has long lent its earthy signature to distilled spirits, and here it finds a second life in the teacup. The result is a black tea that borrows the vocabulary of the still without ever leaving the pot. For those curious about how far a black tea can wander from convention, this is a worthy pour at the end of the day.