Bar manager Nicky Beyries spotlights a selection of somewhat unusual, but popular, bottles in a three-pour flight: Akashi White Oak Grain, Kikori (a newcomer to the market, distilled from rice), and Iwai for $25. For those who prefer sipping a cocktail, Beyries also offers the fluffy Seven Samurai, which features the light Kikori with housemade umeboshi (salted plum) gastrique, fresh lemon, egg white, and yuzu bitters. The plus? Beyries has been collecting additional rare Japanese whiskies behind the scenes for guests to try.

It might not surprise you that Hotel Niko maintains a modest selection of Japanese whiskies. But the real treat is the sparkle-encrusted, Hello-Kitty pink kanpai lounge, which even sometimes welcomes you to a candy bar just past the entrance.

If you are already dying to get a seat at one of the City's hottest tickets in town, you might want to stop reading now. The nationally recognized Hawaii-themed restaurant Liholiho Yacht Club surprised everyone two weeks ago by opening a 24-seat tropical basement bar. Entry is reservation only, with reservations opening a week ahead. Making this exclusive experience even more coveted: the bar's 20-bottle Japanese whisky collection boasting a particularly wide selection of Nikka and some of the favorites from the Suntory vertical.

Michael Mina's Japanese restaurant is home to one of San Francisco's largest collection of cocktails with Japanese spirits. Beyond that, their back bar of bottles runs deep. In addition to a curated three-pour flight ($30), PABU's Japanese whisky menu spans a full five pages, covers 29 different bottles of Japanese whisky, ranging from $14 a pour to $462 a pour for a 28-year-old vintage. These pair with an 88-bottle list of wide-ranging sakes and 10 shochus. Even lesser known is bar manager Nick Jones's secret "yakuza" menu. Named for Japan's age-old underground gang network, the cocktail menu surreptitiously serves out drinks that pair specific spirits with tea.

Ramen Shop not only showcases a wide selection of 16 Japanese whiskies—even more exceptional is bar manager Chris Lane's reverence and understanding of the Japanese palate and technique. Lane's interest — and even travels in Japan — have translated into a extremely detail oriented approach to bartending techniques (including a version of the famously challenging hard shake) and a taste for some of the simple pleasures like the Japanese highball, which Lane jiggers out to perfect salinity. Lane also offers on his menu St. George's local take on shochu, as well as St. George's Ramen Shop Reserve Baller Whiskey, on which Lane collaborated.

Tosca may serve Italian American food, but it also nurtures a deep back bar of rare bottles, including a wide selection of Japanese whiskies. Fans of the Asian style will swoon at their reserve of sought-after pours, like Hibiki 18, Yamazaki 18, and Hibiki 21, among others. Such rarities are even known to make appearances on Tosca's late-night menu, one of San Francisco dining's hidden treasures: Every night, the bar staff will choose a "good deal shooter" and offer a pour of a particular bottle at a fraction of the typical price, so that customers have the chance to taste something new and rare—including Japanese whisky for those lucky few.