PinnedChichibu Whisky Festival 2023I attended Chichibu Whisky Festival (秩父ウイスキー祭) yesterday, which was a great time, with some whisky pals from Tokyo and a surprise visit from an old friend from NY! The basic cost to attend if you are in Tokyo will be around ¥8,492 (~$60 USD) departing from Ikebukuro Seibu station: ¥5,500…Chichibu5 min readChichibu5 min read
PinnedA guide to my most interesting postsJapanese Whisky As I’m currently living in Japan, I have the opportunity to acquire some domestically produced whiskies that are not often sold internationally. I wrote a short guide on where you can purchase whisky in Japan. Individual Reviews: Nikka Miyagikyo 2004 — From the Barrel — Distillery Exclusive Akkeshi Sarorunkamuy Nikka…Index1 min readIndex1 min read
PinnedWhisky Scoring Bands / DistributionMuch like Malt Review, I feel that the current hundred point system is both capricious and arbitrary, and too much time is spend around the 80/100 level and not enough range is given to the full possibility of expression. So, future reviews will be marked up on a 10-point scale…Whisky2 min readWhisky2 min read
5 days agoScotch Whisky Review: Port Askaig 12 Year Old Spring Edition 2020A not so secret distillery (who has the volume to sell this much to IB!) Port Askaig 12 Year Old Spring Edition 2020 / 45.8% Tasted neat A limited edition of 5,000 bottles, this un-named Islay branded Port Askaig 12 Year Old Spring Edition 2020 was a vatting of 18 ex-bourbon hogsheads from two vintages (2006 & 2007). …Whisky2 min readWhisky2 min read
5 days agoScotch Whisky Review: GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvee Wine Cask FinishThis is one for intersectional lovers of whisky & red, european wine. GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvee Wine Cask Finish / 48% / £60 Tasted neat The GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvee Wine Cask Finish just barely missed being 10 years old, having been distilled in 2012, aged in ex-bourbon American oak, and then finished for 20 months in four types of premium…Whisky2 min readWhisky2 min read
Mar 9Scotch Whisky Review: Glenlivet 2006 Signatory 14 Year OldSignatory Vintage’s Cask Strength Collection: always a good value, with occasional knockouts, and very few truly tragic expressions. Glenlivet 2006 Signatory 14 Year Old / 62.9% Tasted neat, then with a little bottled water This Glenlivet from Signatory Vintage’s Cask Strength Collection was distilled on 10/17/2006, left to mature for fourteen years in a first-fill sherry butt #901006…Whisky1 min readWhisky1 min read
Mar 1Japanese Manhole CoversPeople are very excited to see designer manhole covers in Japan, which started being introduced in Okinawa in 1978; today there are many thousands of them scattered around the country. A good article on the history is Designer Manhole Covers: A New Kind of Region-Specific Item: Designer manhole covers first…Japan4 min readJapan4 min read
Feb 20Whisky Review: Ben Nevis 2008 BlackAdder / Ingelred 14 Year OldBen Nevis does not get much better than this. Ben Nevis 2008 BlackAdder 14 Year Old / 62.2% Tasted neat Bottled under the Ingelred series (“Whisky with an edge”), this Ben Nevis was distilled in January 2008, laid to rest for 14 years in cask #186, a first-fill ex-bourbon, and bottled in April 2022. …Whisky1 min readWhisky1 min read
Feb 11Scotch Whisky Review: Lagavulin Offerman Edition “Charred Oak Cask” 11 Year OldWill the third entry in this collaboration, this time done up in full-maturation STR casks, be as interesting as the first?Whisky2 min readWhisky2 min read
Feb 11Whisky Review: Thompson Brothers Blended Malt SRV5 Batch 1An impressively punchy & fruity spirit at a very low price. Thompson Brothers Blended Malt SRV5 Batch 1 / 48.5% Tasted neat Thompson Brothers Blended Malt SRV5 Batch 1 is a blended malt made by vatting together 8 year old whiskies in a large, charred oak vat, allowing them to marry, diluting this to 48.5%, and then bottling 2/3…Whisky2 min readWhisky2 min read
