Malt whisky whisky regulations require malt whisky to be made in pot stills using water and malted barley without the addition of any other cereals, and the whisky must be aged for at least three years in oak casks. The use of new barrels is not required. Caramel coloring can be added, but no other additives are allowed. Irish whiskey regulations are almost identical to Scotch regulations. Malt whiskey must be distilled in a pot still from a mash of 100% malted barley, which may be peated or unpeated in character, although unpeated malt is typically used. All Irish whiskeys must be
Japanese whisky own company—Dainipponkaju—which would later change its name to Nikka. In this new venture he established the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaidō. The first westerners to taste Japanese whisky were soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia who took shore leave in Hakodate in September 1918. A brand called Queen George, described by one American as a "Scotch whiskey made in Japan", was widely available. Exactly what it was is unknown, but it was quite potent and probably quite unlike Scotch whisky. As of 2011, when the Shinshu distillery reopened, there are around nine active whisky distilleries in Japan. These include: For