Japanese 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…

Much 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…

At ¥600 a can (US $4.29), and weighing at 9% ABV, Suntory has launched a new premium highball, made from non-age-statement Hakushu whisky. The label text has a couple notes in English and Japanese: “The distillery surrounded by forest at the foot of the Southern Japan Alps” “白州蒸溜所製原酒 ハイボール” (Hakushu Distillery’s Original Alcohol Highball” “香るスモーキー” (Smokey Fragrance) At a bottle-equivalent price of ¥5,300 for the liquid inside, it’s +18% more expensive than Hakushu’s NAS MSRP of ¥4,500.

Finally, someone who knows how to make blended whisky! Thompson Brothers Blended Scotch Whisky TB/BSW Over 6 Years Old / Batch 2 / 46% Tasted neat This new blended scotch whisky from Thompson Brothers (TB/BSW) is a combination of malt and grain scotch whisky aged for “over six years”, and my bottle is from their second batch. It is non-chill-filtered (NCF) and natural colour; they…

I bought this by accident, I normally prefer to not buy the watered-down versions, but the price was too attractive! Imperial 1998 Gordon & Macphail 11 Year Old / 42% Tasted neat Bottled for Amer Gourmet in Spain, this Gordon & Macphail Imperial was distilled on 9/9/1998, possibly just a month before its closure, and bottled on 6/14/2010 from refill…

I love Daftmill, but so far I’ve only had a chance to try some of the annual regular releases. Daftmill 2006 15 Year Cask Strength / 55.7% ABV Tasted neat Today, I have a special Daftmill, distilled in 2006 and bottled in 2022 from 28 first-fill ex-bourbon barrels at cask strength. It uses local Chariot barley from the Cutherbert…

I am starting to think the sweet spot for Ardmore is in the younger 12–22 year range, although this is still a capable dram. Ardmore 1997 Whisky Nerds 24 Year Old / 49.6% ABV Tasted neat This Ardmore from indie bottler Whiskey Nerds was distilled at Ardmore on 11/06/1997 and bottled 10/28/2022 from ex-bourbon hogshead #901451. This is one of…

Excellence marred by a huge price increase 😭 Glenfarclas 25 Cask Strength (Batch 1) / 52.2% ABV / ¥37,800 Tasted neat This bottle is really batch 4 of the (discontinued) CS 21-year-old series for exclusive Japan release, but with the rebranding to blue-and-gold labels, they have dropped the 21 Year and replaced it with a more expensive 25 Year Old. Color…

Relatively affordable ✔️ Cask Strength ✔️ Age Statement ✔️ Sherry ✔️ Glenfarclas 12 Cask Strength (Batch 4) / 57.6% ABV / ¥11,200 (~$100) Tasted neat / with some bottled mineral water This is the fourth installment of Glenfarclas’s Japan Exclusive 12 Year Old Cask Strength release; this year the packaging has been revamped to include a more glorious blue and gold motif…