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According to the description Kickstarter doesn't allow alcohol as a reward for backing. It's a shame that a lot of what she came up with are US-centric, since there are much bigger markets for whisky elsewhere in the world.
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Nov 15, 2012 08:55
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Would any US goons be willing to trade a bottle of Suntory Toki for something of equivalent value from here in Japan? Maybe Chita? Suntory doesn't sell Toki in Japan, but they don't sell Chita outside of Japan. Edit: Chita won't blow you away, if there's something else you have in mind in the 3000-5000 yen range that's fine too zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Sep 15, 2017 |
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Sep 15, 2017 04:24
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Yeah it's meh at best. If there's something else in the same price range that interests you, that's fine too.
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Sep 15, 2017 20:52
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NHK ran a dramatization of the Taketsuru/Nikka story called "Massan" a few years back, it was really popular. If you're interested in the actual history check out the book Whisky Rising by Stefan Van Eycken. Alternatively I have a shorter version here, if you can get through my terrible writing.
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Sep 21, 2017 01:20
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Nikka's latest expression, Nikka From The Bottom. Aged in Japanese domestic butts with NAS Color: Dark chocolate, with a tint of crimson Nose: Pungent earthy notes of freshly composted manure Palate: Digested burritos, earthworms, and warm copper Finish: Lingering bile, heavy fecal matter zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 08:05 on Sep 21, 2017 |
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Sep 21, 2017 08:02
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There's a newspaper article from 1905 talking about how Thomas Dewar invented the highball. Some bartenders swear by White Label for that drink, otherwise you don't hear much about it. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1905-01-06/ed-1/seq-8/ Since you've already got the bottle, get some soda water and give it a try.
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Oct 2, 2017 08:03
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It's aged closer to the Pacific ocean instead of the Atlantic? Try Kavalan and see if it does the same thing to you. But yes basically everything used to make it, besides the water, is imported. I'd challenge you to pick out a Japanese whisky a blind test though. Perhaps you're just a racist, as your custom title implies. Someone finally made a Japanese whisky using Japanese grain, and they're shooting for release next year. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 22:52 on Oct 14, 2017 |
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Oct 14, 2017 22:40
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the spyder posted:I'm looking for recommendations for other Japanese Whisky. I've been luck enough to find a few local stores that keep a good selection in stock, but I'm looking to expand a bit from here. Only enough my favorite still is Hibiki. Late to reply, Yamazaki 18 was my favorite Japanese whisky, back when it was simply "pricey." Then the rest of the world also thought it was good, so now it's just absurd. There are newcomers that I'm keeping a very close eye on, namely Shizuoka Distillery and Akkeshi Distillery. But it will be years before they start to hit the market. tbh for a lot of the scotch-like Japanese whiskies, considering the bubble... just buy scotch. I obviously still buy Japanese whisky, but only when I can get it at retail/direct from the maker -- which is obviously much easier living in Japan but still not as easy as one may think. For now my go-to is the NAS Hakushu: it makes a good highball, it's soft enough to nicely contrast with the rest of my collection, and it's still plentiful in supply. In other news I had my first BOX Whisky, from Sweden, the other day at an event. Spoke briefly with the distillery head and sales manager: they're doing some quite interesting experiments up there, like aging in square barrels. I was pretty impressed with what they have so far given the young age. They attribute this to the temperature differences, going from 86F in summers to -22F in winters, and they don't use climate control in their warehouse.
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Oct 30, 2017 23:16
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For scotch the best tracking map I've seen is this. Can't say how current it's kept though. I maintain one myself for Japanese whisky
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Dec 6, 2017 08:44
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Bic Camera
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Dec 8, 2017 13:01
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In Japan the current legal definition of whisky is as follows: -must be distilled from a wash of only fermented malted grain and water -distilled to less than 95% abv -can contain added alcohol, spirits, spices, coloring, or water -must contain at least 10% of the original distillate And that's it! There are no specifics about geography or aging in there. Several companies have taken advantage of that loose definition to market their products as "Japanese whisky" despite the fact that they don't distill their own liquid at all. They import bulk from Scotland or whatever, maybe age for a bit in Japan, then call it Japanese whisky (Kurayoshi and Togouchi come to mind). For what it's worth I've never really seen rice whisky actually marketed as whisky in Japan though. Even the cheapest crap whisky you can find is at least made from some maybe malt and at least a grain which isn't rice. I guess it's worth discussing where the line should be drawn. Even real Japanese whisky uses imported malt and yeast. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jan 16, 2018 |
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Jan 16, 2018 15:38
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GrAviTy84 posted:Generally anything distilled from alcohol produced by fermenting grain is a whiskey, like anything distilled from fermented fruit is a brandy. So Corsair's Oatrage and Quinoa whiskeys are both whiskeys. Oddly, buckwheat is not technically a grain, so there's been some argument about whether or not spirits distilled from buckwheat is actually a whiskey. Never had the Ohishi, Fukano, or Kikori. None of these are sold in Japan afaik. I guess I could buy some rice shochu for $10, throw it in my 2L barrel, and I'd probably end up fairly close.
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Jan 16, 2018 16:39
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So if I take the same grain and distill it at two different distilleries, combine the results, and call it single grain, can I make a whisky snob's head explode? Here I always thought "single grain" meant each bottle contained a single grain of sand from the beaches of Islay, for added brininess
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Jan 17, 2018 03:28
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FWIW I put the same question to the Kavalan guys and per them the only downside is that their angel's share is significantly higher. On the other side of the coin, the guys from Box in Sweden were pretty convinced that the temperature difference between summer and winter was more important than years spent in a barrel. That said I think chitoryu was more talking about the legal requirement rather than the flavor.
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Jan 17, 2018 11:06
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Who is "they?" Mars Shinshu is alive and well afaik. There have been several releases since that bottle, even. And it was 11000 bottles, not 1400 
zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Apr 7, 2018 |
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Apr 7, 2018 09:25
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Tbf age statements are a lie fed to you by big whisky. But I agree Japanese whiskies are quite overpriced atm.
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Apr 7, 2018 22:48
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Josh Lyman posted:One of my favorite bartenders poured me a half oz because he knows Yamazaki 18 is my favorite. He wouldn't have knowingly lied because it was past closing and I was just swinging by to say hi, so it's not like he was trying to sell me anything, but I guess he could be wrong? Sorry, I thought you were implying that the distillery itself is closing down, which is not the case. The 11000 bottles was probably the global number. Perhaps only 1400 made it to the US? A proper blender will be able to say that a 14y aged on the top shelf of the rack is as at the same level as a 16y on the bottom shelf. Plus you have climate to consider. Maybe age statements are reliable in Kentucky or Scotland considering the climate is mostly consistent across each respectively (i.e. there's not a huge difference in latitude). But separate two new born whiskies at birth, aging one in Islay and one in Bermuda, and you'll have two wildly different results even in the exact same wood. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Apr 8, 2018 |
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Apr 7, 2018 23:58
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So I went up to the Hakushu distillery again this past weekend. The gift shop was of course pretty hopeless, but the paid tasting was fully stocked as usual. 600 yen for Hakushu 18? Who wouldn't. The new Hakushu rye whisky is actually really, REALLY good. Like "spend another $10 to use it as my Manhattan base" good.
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Apr 16, 2018 14:25
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So I have a few minutes with Dave Broom. Anything I should ask?
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Apr 29, 2018 01:13
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Is Nikka From the Barrel readily available in the US? It's easy enough to find in Japan, and affordable. I think I paid like 2200 yen for my last bottle. Edit: just looked on Amazon JP and the cost has since increased... by 2 yen. And seems I paid 2590 yen last time, not 2200 zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 07:32 on May 8, 2018 |
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May 8, 2018 07:27
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Just to eliminate confusion. It's both Hakushu 12 and Hibiki 17. Nikkei has reported as such. Exports are being halted too. Also it's officially a "sales suspension" rather than a discontinuation of the product. Two different words in Japanese. Effectively, sure, it's nearly the same thing, since either one means you won't be able to buy bottles off shelves. But a suspension means that Suntory intends to re-introduce them someday. Neither was easy to find anyway 
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May 15, 2018 22:15
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No they don't... Hibiki 12 was discontinued in November 2015. It was replaced by the NAS Harmony. I suppose there may be a few bottles still in secondary but it's not coming from Suntory anyway. They're supposedly introducing "Hibiki Blender's Choice" in September of this year, to replace the Hibiki 17. Also Hibiki 21 and 30 still officially are made and sold, but yeah, good luck finding either for a decent price. The MSRP of the 30y is 125k yen.
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May 16, 2018 10:16
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Speaking of which! I made this infographic about Japanese whisky. Feel free to share wherever you like.
zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 14:54 on May 30, 2018 |
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May 30, 2018 14:52
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This doesn't answer your question directly, but based on the dataset I used to make that graphic, France has been in the top 3 every year in the data (2011-2018) and #1 since 2015. Their volume has gone from 231kL in 2011 to 1470kL in 2017, so roughly 6.3x. In March of this year alone they imported 257kL, more than the entirety of 2011. I couldn't tell you how that compares to France's whisky imports in general though, my data is strictly from the Japan side. Worth pointing out that the data comes from customs, i.e. it's purely the destination country of a particular shipment. Doesn't mean the whisky actually stays in that country and gets consumed there.
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May 31, 2018 06:17
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Netflix and still
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Aug 15, 2018 13:37
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Nevermind the whiskey, why does it not have casters? They existed in the 70s too.
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Aug 28, 2018 08:26
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Barrel-aged Rusty Nail is one of my favorite things in life.
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Oct 15, 2018 00:03
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Japanese distilleries have worked with cedar for a couple decades now, cedar casks are in Hibiki 12 for example. Cedar casks have been used since like the early 14th century for sake (albeit for transport, rather than maturation). The independent cooperage Ariake Sangyo also supposedly has customers now ordering casks of maple, walnut, cherry, and cypress. Japanese law basically allows anything using distilled grain to be called whisky, age or wood does not matter. Toast Museum posted:I'm sure a connoisseur can taste the difference every time, but for loving around at home, are charred oak sticks/spirals any good for infusions, or is there no point? username and post content combo!
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Oct 18, 2018 02:09
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Can I talk to the person who actually distilled/blended it? If so, that's craft enough for me. Not the brand ambassador, or the head of the distillery, or even the CEO of the company. But the person or people who actually make the cuts etc.
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Nov 7, 2018 08:23
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Yamazaki 12 officially retails for 8500 yen, but even in Japan it's quite rare to find it at that price these days. $60 is a steal.
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Nov 13, 2018 04:23
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Yoichi Single Malt is distilled entirely in Yoichi. Regarding Nikka's blends, though, I've heard the same and it always gets sourced back to this line from 2016's Malt Whisky Yearbook: quote:Ben Nevis is an important supplier of whisky for the owner's (Nikka) blends and for 2015, 50% of the newmake will be sent directly to Japan, primarily to be part of the popular blend, Nikka Black. Is there any other source saying the same thing? If so, I would be interested in hearing it. I've even asked Nikka themselves but they of course don't give a straight answer (i.e. they aren't flat-out denying it either). edit: also, I hear Chivas Regal Mizunara is due for a US release zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Nov 18, 2018 |
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Nov 18, 2018 22:18
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It's been available here in Japan for a few years now. It's probably the most affordable way to find out what Mizunara is all about (for those that don't already know), given it's specifically not a Japanese whisky. Though it's pretty subtle the Mizunara does come through about halfway through the palate.
zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Nov 19, 2018 |
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Nov 19, 2018 01:21
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How would a bad bottle happen for whisky? Especially a blended whisky.
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Dec 2, 2018 05:23
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Weltlich posted:It usually happens with bottles that have a natural cork - bacteria sets in the corkwood and produces chemicals that then get into the whiskey and give it some really off flavors. Unfortunately, these chemicals are detectable at the parts-per-billion level so just the tiniest amount will foul the whole bottle. I guess a cork with bacteria would do it! In this particular case though isn't Johnnie Walker Black using a screwcap? I'm just having trouble imagining a scenario that affects a single bottle. I could see a bad run or even a bad cask happening, but either of those should/would have been picked up by the blender. Granted it's Johnnie Walker Black so they probably have a whole army of blenders or whisky tasting robots or something, and I suppose one of them could have had an off day. But in that case, wouldn't this impact thousands upon thousands of bottles? I don't know where Odd Mutant is posting from but if it were China or India or something I could see counterfeit being a thing. Then again I doubt criminals would bother counterfeiting Black label.
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Dec 2, 2018 22:14
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slothrop posted:my birth-year Glenfarclas On this note, I had a son this year and want to buy him something special for when he gets older. Either a whisky bottled this year, or a new pot going into a cask this year. I suppose it's easy enough to find the former, but for the latter. Let's just say money is no object -- anyone know of cask owners programs that allow you to let the whisky mature for like, two decades? The ones I've come across all end after 10 years, tops.
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Dec 8, 2018 05:21
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So I've just purchased my first cask from the Shizuoka Distillery. It's only an octave so I should end up with around 50 bottles (700ml) in 5 years. Ends up being like $70 per bottle after the taxes, bottling, labeling etc. is all paid for. I went with the ex-Karuizawa still. I liked that sample more than their regular firewood-heated still, and they are the same price, so I figured why not.
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Dec 18, 2018 00:24
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That's not an option, the max they allow for the 55L is 5 years. Minimum 3 years. I have a couple tiny 2L casks at home, so I may try aging a bit further for experimental purposes. They do offer a barrel (180L), max 9 years, but that's a pretty high upfront cost (999,000 yen). zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Dec 18, 2018 |
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Dec 18, 2018 04:12
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How do you recall flavors? Say you drink a whisky tonight. You can even write down some tasting notes. A week from today. Can you actually remember what it tasted like? Or simply that it was good/bad/some other score?
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Dec 26, 2018 08:58
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DoctaFun posted:I tend to remember the really distinct aspects for days / weeks after, but not super specifics beyond ‘ I liked this one a lot’ or ‘this was pretty bland’. So, follow-up question. How do you feel about spending $$$ to drink once-in-a-liftetime whiskies? Considering you're unlikely to remember specifics of the flavor. Worth spending for the other aspects of the experience? Yuns posted:I do a lot of back to back tasting which really helps identify differences in smell and flavor When I'm actually there with the dram in front of me I am usually okay. If possible, I write my tasting notes before reading anyone else's. And I find that I end up describing some of the same flavors that professionals do, when I read their tasting notes after writing my own. Back to back does make things drastically easier too. I was more wondering about being able to recall that flavor after the fact. Some people seem to have gastronomic memory, like they can pick up a whisky, try it, and be like "oh this reminds me of Glen Grant 18, not that 2017 crap, but the original 2016 release. And with more vanilla." I can't seem to do this for the life of me. Yet I don't think it's due to inexperience either, since it's the same situation for whisky I've literally drank gallons of.
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Dec 27, 2018 01:16
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Enjoy it while it lasts!
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Jan 20, 2019 07:45
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