At many of Japan's flagship whisky distilleries — such as those operated by Suntory and Nikka — the craft of blending and distillation remains deeply influenced by Scotch distillation. That said, there are a number of characteristics (in both production processes and the product itself) that may be uniquely Japanese. These include the use of koji bacterium in fermentation; maturation with casks made of mizunara; and the relative lack of heavily peated flavours such as those you'll find in Isley whisky.