Given their legendary obsession with precision and perfection, it's unsurprising that when the Japanese apply themselves to whisky, vodka and gin, they're capable of producing offerings that sit comfortably alongside the world's best. The House of Suntory is one of the globe's earliest producers of distilled beverages. They make some of the world's finest single malts and blended whiskies, along with smart craft vodkas made from Japanese white rice and brilliant gins using indigenous Japanese botanicals. Gin maestros, the Kyoto-based Ki No Bi use a rice spirit as their base, along with juniper and ten other botanicals. Their distillers identify six key groupings; Base, Citrus, Tea, Herbal, Spice and Floral. These are distilled separately before being blended for balance and purity of flavour. Mars Distillery's pioneering Kiichiro Iwai is listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the history of whisky. Mars produce smooth and smoky malt whiskies rich with notes of caramel, honey, ripe fruit characters and woody nuances.