Mitsu in East London serves the best Japanese whisky highball in the city, and it pours from a tap rather than getting hand-built at a busy bar. The whisky is Suntory Toki, the blended Japanese whisky (43% ABV) that Suntory designed for exactly this drink: light, faintly sweet, with a clean finish that holds up to soda and carbonation. Glass chilled, ratio correct, fizz intact, served in seconds. A Toki bottle runs around £35 to £40 if you want to make them at home, but the version at Mitsu is the closest thing to a Tokyo highball you will find in London.
The Japanese whisky highball is one of those drinks that sounds simple until you have a bad one. Then you realise how badly wrong it can go: flat, warm, over-diluted, poured from a bottle that has sat under harsh bar lights six months too long.
Mitsu London gets it right.
What Mitsu is actually doing
Mitsu isn’t a Japanese-inspired cocktail bar with a neon sign and a token sake list. Born out of East London creativity and East Tokyo neighbourhood spirit, the whole place pulls you toward Tokyo: the aesthetic, the mood, the pace of service. Sushi and robata on the menu. Suntory Toki in the glass.
And the highballs? On draught. Poured in seconds, the way you get them in Japan.
That detail matters more than it sounds. The Japanese approach to the highball, chilled glass, correct ratio, carbonation preserved, no fuss, is the whole reason the drink works. It is why Suntory spent decades selling it as an everyday pour in Japan rather than a premium occasion. Speed and consistency are part of the point. Waiting three minutes for someone to hand-build your highball at a busy bar defeats the purpose. Mitsu skips that problem entirely by putting it on tap.
What makes a great Japanese whisky highball
Toki is Suntory’s blend built for the highball format. It draws on the Hakushu, Yamazaki and Chita distilleries, sits at 43% ABV, and leans light and faintly sweet with a clean, dry finish that doesn’t fight the carbonation. In a different bar it might read as the easy default. Here it reads as correct: the whisky fits the setting, the setting fits the concept, and the concept is executed well enough that none of it feels like a mood board that got out of hand.
One note for anyone heading down: the bottle photographed and linked below is Suntory Toki Black, the smokier, richer limited expression. The draught highballs at Mitsu are built on standard Suntory Toki, which is the lighter blend designed for the format. If you want the smoke, buy a bottle of Black. If you want the highball, the tap has you covered.
Suntory Toki — tasting note
Nose: green apple, basil, honey, lemon oil Palate: grapefruit, green grapes, peppermint, thyme, light honey Finish: short to medium, dry, vanilla oak, white pepper, a touch of ginger ABV: 43% | Type: blended Japanese whisky (Hakushu, Yamazaki, Chita) | Price: ~£35–£40 (700ml)
Is it worth going for?
If you are in London and you care about whisky highballs, yes, without much hesitation. It is a specific thing done properly, which is rarer than it should be. This is for the drinker who has had a great highball in Tokyo and wants it again without the flight, and for anyone curious about why Japanese whisky and soda became a global drink in the first place. It is not the place to go if you want a contemplative dram of single malt, that is a different night out.
Mitsu opens daily from midday, and also runs as a stop on Suntory’s Toki-O Nights listening-bar series. Check Mitsu London on Instagram for current hours and bookings before you go.
Where to buy Suntory Toki
Want to build the drink at home? Toki is widely available across the UK and Europe, and ships internationally from the major specialists. The smokier Toki Black turns up as a limited release.
Hard To Find Whisky — Toki Black
Master of Malt — Suntory Toki Black
The Whisky Exchange — Suntory Toki Black
The Whisky Shop — Suntory Toki
Frequently asked questions
What is a Japanese whisky highball? A Japanese highball is whisky and chilled soda water served over ice in a tall glass, usually at a ratio around one part whisky to three or four parts soda. The Japanese version emphasises a cold glass, gentle stirring and preserved carbonation, which keeps it crisp and refreshing rather than flat or watery.
Where can I drink the best Japanese highball in London? Mitsu in East London is among the best places in the city for a Japanese whisky highball. It pours Suntory Toki highballs on draught rather than building them by hand, so each one arrives cold, correctly diluted and properly carbonated in seconds, the same approach used in Tokyo bars.
What whisky does Mitsu use for its highballs? Mitsu serves Suntory Toki highballs on draught. Toki is a blended Japanese whisky from Hakushu, Yamazaki and Chita, bottled at 43% ABV and built specifically for the highball: light, faintly sweet and clean enough that it works with soda rather than disappearing into it.
Why is Suntory Toki good for highballs? Toki was designed for mixing. At 43% ABV it stays bright and dry, with green apple, citrus and light honey notes that lift with carbonation instead of turning muddy. Suntory created it as an everyday highball whisky in Japan, so it is balanced for soda rather than for sipping neat.
How much does a bottle of Suntory Toki cost? A 700ml bottle of Suntory Toki typically costs around £35 to £40 in the UK, or roughly $33 to $40 in the US for 750ml. The smokier limited edition, Toki Black, usually sits a little higher. Both ship internationally from specialist retailers.
What else does Mitsu London serve? Beyond draught highballs, Mitsu offers sushi, a robata grill and Kanpai London sake, alongside DJ sets and a private karaoke room. It is built as an all-evening East Tokyo-style spot rather than a whisky-only bar, open daily from midday.
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