Dekantā – a whisky fan’s favourite website?

From unknown releases to crowd-pleasing favourites of Yamazaki and Hibiki, online retailer Dekantā looks set to blow the likes of Master of Malt right out of the (fire) water.

“It’s hard for people to find interesting stuff,” said Edward Davidson, CEO of Dekantā which launched earlier this year. “The second we put it online, it disappears.”

Ever since Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible named Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 as the best whisky in the world, there’s been a global unstoppable thirst for all Japan can provide with rare releases dominating Asia auctions and a shortage recently announced by Nikka.

For Edward Davidson, originally from Edinburgh but now living in Tokyo with his wife and business partner, Maiko this was a the prime time to launch Dekantā, a rare and fine whisky online shop which specialises in Japanese whisky and Scottish malts released for the Japanese market.

Avid collectors can find limited releases from closed-down distilleries, Karuizawa (the oldest release, 1971 will set customers back US$5,360), Ichiro and Hanyu as well as Ji-whisky – Japan’s answer to micro distilleries.

“The gap was there. There’s nothing on the market that can specialise quite like us. Master of Malt and Whisky Bible can’t offer the range that we do – especially the rare stuff. Most of that is sold locally in Japan and it’s actually very difficult to get it outside of the country.”

Davidson cut his teeth at Christie’s working underneath Michael Broadbent, before going into the antiques trade – a move, he says that makes him appreciate that dealing with whisky is a similar business.

“Whisky is a desirable commodity. People buy it, keep it, bequeath it, inherit it. It may get re-auctioned again – just like antiques but once you’ve got your hands on something good, you may never see it again.”

Davidson sources his whisky from collectors around the world – and then sells it to collectors around the world or auction houses, though he seems skeptical of Asia’s current love of buying whisky from auctions himself.

“Where else can people go to find this kind of whisky? Hong Kong auctions? The prices are sky high, then you have to pay the commission, then you actually have to be there to bid. I know there’s a lot of fuss going on at the moment about auctions but to me it’s not worth it.” 

The one to watch… the Wakatsuru Shuzou Sun Shine 20 Years Old Single Malt

Dekantā’s customers spend an average of US$500 per transaction and are mainly from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan of course – with many collectors in the US and UK. A surprising growth market is Papua New Guinea and Latin American countries such as Chile and Colombia.

“And Brazil, obviously,” said Davidson. “I read recently that more whisky is drunk in Brazil than Scotland! They can’t get enough of it.”

Google and Wine-Searcher have also helped steer potential customers towards Dekantā and Davidson has managed to cultivate many of them as friends.

“There’s so much pleasure and excitement in Japanese whisky; much more, I’m afraid to say than my beloved Scottish single malts. And buying whisky is an emotional thing. People really love it and when they find the right bottle, they are very happy.”

With warehouses in Tokyo and the UK and a collection office in Macau, Dekantā looks set to expand rapidly with a new retail store planned for late this year or early 2016. Davidson has also just announced the launch of Dekantā’s own brand whisky, Fuji Five Lakes gran riserva from the Monde Shozo distillery in Yamanashi Prefecture. 120 bottles of this will be released in the next few weeks.

“We’re also doing our own mineral water!” said Davidson. “I’ve always said that if you’re going to drink whisky, you need to drink it with fresh water from the same country, not horrible boiled Singapore tap water.  Our water is sourced from a stream near Yamazaki and by the end of the year (fingers crossed)  it will be available free with every order.”

Aside from the usual Hibiki, Yamazaki and Nikka which has currently got the world enthralled, Davidson revealed a currently under-the-radar whisky to watch out for.

“Try the Wakatsuru Shuzou Sun Shine 20 years old single malt. It tastes amazing, is a great price (US$282) and there’s only 500 bottles of it about. It will sell out very quickly.”

For  Davidson himself, he prefers the Nikka Coffey Grain, named after its inventor, Aeneas Coffey. “People think it actually has coffee in it, and I like the fact the name is deliberately misleading. Though I can always drink a Yamazaki 18 year old – it’s so much better than the 25.”