No products in the cart.
Transient Tones For Timeless Spirits: Behind the Scenes
Christmas, Collectible Whisky, Events, Hibiki, Japan, Japanese Jazz, Japanese Whisky, Miyagikyo, Nikka, Suntory, Unique Bottles, Whisky Gifts, Whisky News, Yamazaki
Earlier today, we were delighted to unveil our latest endeavour: Transient Tones For Timeless Spirits – A dekanta LP and we are confident that you’ll enjoy this epic boxset as much as we enjoyed creating it. If you haven’t heard about this superb new sensory experience yet, click here to find out more.
Now, in traditional dekanta style, we’re going to give you a sneak peak behind the scenes of the creation of this majestic, one of a kind whisky product. Over a year in the making, we poured all of our effort and passion into creating something that will fill our customers with awe and joy as they embark on a journey that challenges the senses and amplifies the whisky drinking experience tenfold.
Collaborating With BBE
Through a close friend, we were first put in touch with BBE Productions all the way back in 2020. We had wanted to create something that paired exceptional music with exceptional whisky for some time, but it was incredibly important to us that we found the right way to do this.
When the staff at BBE introduced us to a list of brilliant Japanese Jazz tracks, we were immediately bowled over and knew that this was the perfect music for this project.
We worked closely with the musical minds at the production company to ensure each and every track was carefully selected and what we ended up with was one of the most epic Japanese Jazz LPs of all time.
The records feature nine vintage Japanese Jazz tracks from legends of the industry, including previously unreleased music.
Compiled exclusively for dekantā by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, both long-time collectors of Japanese jazz, ‘Transient Tones For Timeless Spirits – A dekantā LP’ seeks to present the very best in modern jazz from Japan, including limited releases adored by fans of the genre, and rare recordings that were nearly lost to history, lovingly remastered at Grammy nominated London studio The Carvery.
Among the artists featured are truly seminal figures in the J Jazz scene, including Kohsuke Mine and Takashi Miyasaka; among some of the finest players in jazz history, such as Takeo Moriyama, Aki Takase, and the combined power of J Jazz supertrio Isao Suzuki, Masahiko Togasgu and Hideo Ichikawa.
The Artwork
For the artwork on the front of the gate sleeve, we wanted to create something that had significance to Japanese culture, while being modern and jazzy at the same time.
To achieve this, we worked with Edu Fuentes, a contemporary illustrator and animator. He created an outstanding piece of artwork based off of Kitagawa Utamaro’s ‘Kinko Riding Catfish’, a famous woodblock print from times gone by.
He re imagined this iconic print with Kinko riding her catfish through the streets of Tokyo at night, with muted shades turning fluorescent, spotlighting the vibrancy of modern Japan and the culture of J Jazz.
Choosing and Pairing The Whisky
Perhaps the longest and most painstaking, but ultimately hugely enjoyable, part of creating this box set was, of course, choosing and pairing the whiskies with the Jazz tracks. We knew we had to get this right in order to deliver the ultimate sensory experience that we desired to our loyal customers.
We tasted tens of Japanese whiskies and listened to the tracks time and time again until we discovered which whiskies complemented which tracks in the best possible way.
While the process did take a great deal of time, it tended to become quickly apparent when we found the correct pairing to each track. When they worked together, the music amplified the aromas and flavours of the whisky in a way that made you lean back in your chair, close your eyes and exhale deeply, squeezing every last bit of air from your body as you settled in a deeply relaxed state, before filling your lungs again with a deep breath as the music crescendos.
When this happened, we knew we’d struck gold and our pairing was correct. However, just to be sure, we then asked our musically talented friends to do the same, ensuring that the pairing experience worked for all, and was not just a personal preference.
After settling on some truly outstanding whisky and music pairings, which include the likes of the Yamazaki 12, Taketsuru 17 and more, we had to find a way to package this sensory experience in a way that did justice to its elegance and prestige.
Building Our Box
For our outer packaging we chose to go with something that was simple and elegant. This would ensure that it would look the part in any whisky collection, while also allowing the LP and the whiskies to be the focal point of the product.
When you slide off the black belly band and open the gleaming white box, your eyes will immediately be drawn to the stunning gate sleeve, carefully tied in place on the left hand side and the equally stunning, golden amber of the whisky against the dark black background on the right.
It’s a jaw dropping set to look at, making it perfect for display, and the fact it contains such a deep, memorable, sensory experience inside makes this a must have whisky product for 2021.
Transient Tones For Timeless Spirits – A dekantā LP
This box set is without doubt one of our favourite projects to work on to date. It allowed us to explore the amazing world of Japanese Jazz, hear legendary tracks that were nearly lost to history, taste some of the finest Japanese whiskies ever made and enjoy a sensory experience that resulted in a memorable journey unlike anything we’ve been on before.
Now, all that is left to do, is for those that we created the product for (that’s you) to sit back and enjoy. We hope you’re as enamoured by it as we are and we can’t wait to hear your feedback.
