While the confectionary aisle in Australia stocks only original KitKats, KitKat Chunky, and the occasional KitKat Dark or KitKat Cookies and Cream, in Japan, Nestlé KitKats are on another level entirely.
Scattered throughout convenience stores and supermarkets, chocolate lovers can find and sample a huge range of more unconventional KitKat flavours, including green tea, wasabi, soybean, baked potato, cherry blossom, crème brûlée, roasted corn and yuzu.
In fact, there have been over 300 limited-edition seasonal and regional KitKat flavours produced in Japan in the last 20 years, many of which can be found only in Japan. Now, the latest of which to be announced from Nestlé is a limited-edition ‘Whisky Barrel Aged’ KitKat.
The luxurious new flavour was designed and formulated by famed Japanese patissier, Yasumasa Takagi.
In order to create the bespoke flavour, Nestlé takes rare Ghanaian cacao nibs and ages these in Scotch whisky barrels from Islay for 180 days, rotating the barrels once a week to ensure the surface of the nibs are flavoured with the aroma of the whisky that was once aged within them.
The resulting flavour is one that Nestlé Japan describes as unique, smoky and peat. The chocolate, while rich and bitter, is cut through by the aromatic whisky notes, and the warm packaging works in tandem with the product to further elevate the experience.
The limited-edition Whisky Barrel Aged KitKat is available now for ¥300 (AU$3.80). In unfortunate news for Australians keen to try it, the KitKats will only be available to buy from the seven KitKat Chocolatory boutiques in Japan. So, unless you have friends in Japan who can keep one warm for you until we’re able to travel again, you may have to resort to online marketplaces like eBay.
As for getting your hands on KitKat’s other limited-edition flavours, you can find heaps at speciality grocers and Japanese supermarkets.