Cats are lucky (they’ve got nine lives and all) and they tend to live pretty cushy, comfortable lives, their duties mostly consisting of purring, being petted, and listening to people gush about their adorableness. Compare that to dogs who spend all their lives obeying orders and being scolded it they don’t. And why exactly are […]
When one mentions Suntory’s whisky distilleries, most people think of the Yamazaki distillery in Osaka, which was founded in 1923, making it Japan’s oldest distillery. Another famous distillery is the Hakushu distillery, founded in 1973. I have introduced cocktails made from Hakushu and Yamazaki whiskies in previous articles; however, there is another Suntory distillery with […]
In the world of whisky, Whisky Live is one of the most exciting happenings. First held in Tokyo in 2000, this festival celebrating whisky has now expanded to other major cities including London, Paris, Los Angeles, Warsaw, Singapore and others. This year’s Tokyo live festival is about to kick off. All the major players in […]
In the past two columns I have introduced cocktails made with Yamazaki and Hakushu both of which are excellent whiskies. Another excellent Japanese whisky at a similar or higher level is the Hibiki. Suntory introduced it in 1989, aiming to present the best blended whisky there is on the market, and I think most people would […]
Hibiki, Yamazaki, Suntory Old, Black Nikka, Yoichi, Taketsuru and Nikka from the Barrel: If you know your Japanese whisky, you have probably heard all those names. However, you might be surprised at the variety of other Japanese whiskies available. Here we present a few whiskies you have almost certainly not heard of, let alone tried. […]
A week ago I discussed how Yamazaki whisky can replace Scotch in cocktails. This week I am going to show you how Hakushu can be used as a replacement for cognac in a certain popular cocktail. Whisky is used to make a wide variety of cocktails. Of all the possibilities, the Sidecar is perhaps the most […]
Welcome to the new dekantā! As you can see we have made plenty of changes and are excited to hear your feedback. New additions include a weekly bartender column straight from Japan as well as more in-depth articles, guides and more. This has been a good summer for Japanese whisky — customers are literally fighting […]
The quality of Japanese whisky keeps rising, and we bartenders in Japan are always busy finding new ways to use it to make even better drinks for our customers. Any good bartender knows that mixing cocktails is complicated work. The amount of water and even the size of the ice matter a lot when you want […]
Japanese whiskies, especially those older than 12 years, keep selling out. This is due to enormous demand in Japan, partly thanks to the popular TV show Massan and partly because bottles from whisky giants Suntory and Nikka have been racking up most of the awards at international competitions. Yet another reason is that the famous […]
If you have browsed our collection of bottles, then you know by now that Karuizawa is a high-end product. Dave Broomis hosting a charity event on October 3 to raise money for Nepal in London. Attendants get to taste five rare Karuizawa bottles: Karuizawa 1981 Sherry Cask Karuizawa 29 Year Old Bourbon Cask Karuizawa 30 […]