Japanese whisky

[RooFlyer]

Unfortunately, I dislike whiskey of any type, so am unlikely to enjoy it with my friend

I know, I know ... I have tried really good Scots and Tasmanian whiskeys a number of times, under good tutelage, but still can't get into it. One of the few vices I haven't picked up.

 

[SOPOOR]

Unfortunately, I dislike whiskey of any type, so am unlikely to enjoy it with my friend

I know, I know ... I have tried really good Scots and Tasmanian whiskeys a number of times, under good tutelage, but still can't get into it. One of the few vices I haven't picked up.

if you dont like it , yoj dont like it. no need to force yourself unless you've never tried it or have only experienced some really cheap nasty ones,

you have heaps of other choices!

 

[NM]

So, I went with:

View attachment 267422

I expect any whisky lover of Japanese heritage will very much appreciate both the gift and the thought put into selecting it. Well done.

 

[Ade]

So, I went with:

View attachment 267422

Well done, sir @RooFlyer

 

[sudoer]

A bit late to the thread and I see @RooFlyer has already reached a great outcome.

The boom in Japanese whisky over the last 10 years has unfortunately resulted in quite a lot of fakes to meet demand at the cheaper end of the market. These fakes are predominately shochu being labelled as whisky, or imported whisky being blended, briefly distilled, or even just bottled in Japan and labelled as Japanese. The link below is an excellent guide to what is and isn't 'real'.

Infographic: Japanese Whisky, Real or Fake? - Nomunication

The latest infographic makes it easy to tell if the “Japanese” whisky you’re drinking is actually Japanese or not! This is a bit of a hot-button topic at the moment — see my recent interview with Dave Broom to find out why. Whiskey RichardHi there! I created and run nomunication.jp. I’ve lived...

www.nomunication.jp

You'll notice some distilleries even release both real and fake! The Shinobu links from Dans are actually not real Japanese whisky. Take note of the description on the Dans site.. my highlighting in red.

Made in Niigata, SHINOBU (meaning Forbearance in Japanese) Whisky is hand crafted by the creative master blender, Mr. Usami. He carefully selects whisky from around the world and first matures this in ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon casks. Then finished in precious Japanese Mizunara oak and further matured in Japan.

Nikka is my personal favourite and a great place to visit.

Absolutely 2nd this. Yoichi is a bit out of the way but still an easy day trip from Otaru by train. It can be done from Sapporo too, but Otaru is unmissable for some of the best value/highest quality seafood available in Japan. There's quite an extensive historical aspect to Yoichi too, Nikka's founder Masataka is credited with introducing whisky to Japan after studying in Glasgow and later marrying his Scottish wife Rita.

The Taketsuru family became household names in Japan through 2014-2015 as the whisky boom was kicking off, when 150-episode TV drama Massan hit Japanese TVs. Since then Yoichi has seen quite in increase in domestic tourist visits.


The last pic is possibly my favourite souvenir from the trip, a free Nikka-branded designated driver sticker! Now features prominently on my hard case check-in luggage.

And if that hasn't sold a visit to Yoichi enough, there are some great bottles for sale at the gift shop which aren't officially sold elsewhere, starting from 1000 yen for 180ml and 3500 yen for 700ml.