On Friday at an auction held by Bonhams in Hong Kong the first edition Yamazaki 50-Year-Old broke yet another world record, selling for $343,000. This tops the previous sale of the Yamazaki 50 in January, when it sold for almost $300,000. The recent sale follows a growing trend in the world whisky community, as rare […]
Category Archives: Hakushu
We’re halfway through summer, and it’s been a great one so far. The United Kingdom is enjoying one of the hottest summers in history, the West Coast is warm and comfortable, and in Japan, the humidity and heat makes one long for a refreshing, frosty beverage. No matter where you are in the world, summer […]
Located on a small street near Ginza station in Tokyo, bar Marugin is usually packed. Smoke and steam rise up from the central kitchen and bar, as the chefs grill up an assortment of skewers and small Japanese dishes. Servers hold large Suntory tumblers under the highball dispensing machines, as the floor staff moves around […]
The whisky results of the International Spirits Challenge 2018 were published today, on May 11th. There are some wonderful Gold winners in the Japanese whisky categories this year which are, as usual, dominated by the giants of Japanese whisky, Suntory and Nikka. In last year’s competition, Suntory was named “World Whisky Producer of the Year” […]
The assumed inferiority of blended whisky originates from the mistaken belief that blended expressions comprise the bad-tasting whiskies the Scotch distilleries don’t want. And this belief has lingered throughout the years. Sometimes change must come from the outside. Enter Japanese blended whisky. The word premium was attached to Japanese blended whisky, and pushed across the […]
The doors opened to a large, well-lit hall and the whisky industry heavyweights poured in. Wine was offered at the entrance but seeing World Japanese whisky awards available, I moved towards that instead. It was a wonderful sight to see so many legends of the industry gathered in one place. Jota Tanaka from Fuji-Gotemba, Ichiro […]
It’s that time of the year again as Japanese whisky lovers await the final results of the World Whiskies Awards competition. For the fans that don’t remember, Japanese whisky rocked the competition last year, after expressions were named the World’s Best Blended, World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt, and World’s Best Grain. 2017 was huge […]
If your New Year’s resolution was to cut back on whisky, well, you’re out of luck. Just 10 days into 2018, Suntory has officially announced the launch of a brand new range of whiskies. The 3 expressions are set to launch on February 27th, 2018. So far, there has been no mention of international distribution. […]
Before anyone gets too excited, this isn’t a James Bond release under the 007 code name, even though we strongly believe that all the great Bonds, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, would enjoy a dram of this exceptional whisky. With that explanation out of the way, we’re pleased to present a brand new series […]
If you’re a fan of whisky in general, then odds are you’ve heard of Suntory. Actually, even if you aren’t a fan of whisky you’ve probably heard the name in passing somewhere. The company is, after all, the third largest drinks company in the world. They manage many brands, including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and […]