What type of still is commonly used for Japanese whisky?

Well, the answer to that question depends on which type of Japanese whisky you're asking about. Japanese whisky primarily falls into two major categories, and they use completely different types of stills.

The first type, and the most fundamental and famous: Pot Still

This is the large, round-bellied, copper apparatus that might come to mind when you think of whisky, resembling an onion or a gourd.

• What is it used for? Primarily for making Single Malt Whisky, such as the well-known Yamazaki, Yoichi, and Hakushu.
• What does it resemble? You can imagine it as a massive, uniquely shaped copper pot. It operates in batches; after one batch is distilled, it needs to be cleaned before the next, much like making soup at home, where you can only make one pot at a time.
• Why is it used? This type of still isn't highly efficient, but its advantage is that it preserves much of the malt's inherent flavor and character. The spirit is typically fuller-bodied and more complex.
• Japanese Specialty: A significant characteristic of Japanese distilleries is their use of pot stills in various unusual shapes. Within the same distillery, you might see some with long necks, some with short necks, some with fat bodies, and some with slender bodies. Different shapes produce spirits with entirely different flavors. This is why Japanese whisky can create a diverse range of new-make spirits within a single distillery for their blending purposes.

The second type, highly efficient: Continuous Still (Column Still/Coffey Still)

This apparatus doesn't look as 'classic'; it more closely resembles a tall, pipe-filled metal tower, appearing very industrial.

• What is it used for? Primarily for making Grain Whisky. This type of whisky typically has a purer, lighter flavor and serves as a crucial base spirit for creating Blended Whiskies like 'Hibiki'. Of course, there are now also some independently bottled grain whiskies, such as Nikka Coffey Grain.
• What does it resemble? It's not like a pot; it's more like an efficient production line. Raw materials can continuously enter from one end, and alcohol continuously emerges from the other, allowing for 24-hour, non-stop operation.
• Why is it used? Purely for efficiency! It can produce very high-proof alcohol with a very clean taste. This crisp style is perfect for balancing the intense character of malt whisky, making blended whiskies smoother and easier to drink.

So, to summarize simply:

• If you want to drink a Single Malt Whisky with complex and distinctive flavors, its new-make spirit is produced using those plump pot stills.
• If you're drinking a smooth and elegant Blended Whisky (like 'Hibiki'), it contains both malt whisky made in pot stills and grain whisky produced by continuous stills, which acts as a 'softener'.

Essentially, these two types of stills form the two main pillars of the Japanese whisky world.