This is the annual post where you can add your Japanese Whisky Buying conquests or the lack thereof. Alternatively, this is also the place to ask questions about buying Japanese Whisky in Japan but as always, don’t necessarily expect easy answers. We’ve already heard the news of Nikka dropping the rest of the Taketsuru Age Statement range this year at least in Japan. I myself have not found them readily available in Japan for a number of years so from that perspective, removing the Taketsuru Age Statement Bottlings won’t detract from general availability anyway. Last year we got fuck all from Nikka anyway except bad news and only a couple of Limited Edition Blends from Suntory, whoop de fucking do! Chichibu was generally only for those with contacts in Japan, who were first in line at one of the Whisky Festivals in Japan, or have very deep pockets and can afford them on the secondary market. White Oak Akashi Single Malts and White Oak Blends could often be found if you were prepared to do a little leg work as they are not as coveted as Chichibu or even Mars. Limited Edition Mars Whisky were not that easy to obtain for most, though I have good contacts in Japan for those. Limited Edition Mars are however in relative terms, significally cheaper than the equivalent age and quality Chichibu on the secondary market. There were also new make/new born whiskies available from at least 4 of the newer Japanese Whisky Distilleries. Often these were released in decent numbers and distribution but still mostly a being in the right place at the right time of thing. Most promising of these in my opinion were from the Kanosuke distillery.
Fortunately there is actually quite a bit to look forward to in 2020. Forget about the big boys Nikka & Suntory, the status Quo of Chichibu won’t change, neither should that of White Oak and Mars(with one exception). What we will have is official 3 Year Old Whiskies from Shizuoka, Kanosuke, Akkeshi and Mars latest Distillery Tsunuki. Sasanokawa Shuzo has already released Yamazakura Japanese Single Malt Whisky Asaka The First though in limited numbers, hopefully there will be more available in 2020.
A couple of other tips besides following this post. Check out FB pages for Japanese Whisky. There are a number of them and members often have the skinny on what is going to be released and when in Japan. Also follow Nomunication as Whisky Richard has the best ongoing source for Japanese Whisky News.
Happy Hunting to all in 2020!
Has anyone been through Haneda more or less recently?
Just fyi, when I was in Tokyo in Feb, just before the shutdowns, Blender’s Choice was on the shelves at 10000Y at both Shinanoya & Liquor Mtn 777. That was probably the best buy “in the wild”. I use Rakuten & Shinanoya to purchase& deliver to my hotel. Using the Translate extension for Chrome, it is very easy to do & the prices are pretty good.
The Okayama triple cask was in NRT and Shinanoya for 16000Y & I am sort of sorry I did not pick one up. Has anyone tried it, in case it is in HND?
Had a Japanese friend who came back from Japan, after visiting his family. All the DFS shops are still closed.
Just curious is anybody over in Japan (or has friends/family there)? And if so, what’s the current situation with finding Japanese whisky? Has it gotten any better with the lack of tourists?
At NRT, plenty Yama18, Hakushu 18 and Hibiki 21 LE various DFS. Traffics probably at 80% down.
Wow! Thanks!
Seems like the Coronavirus has shut down all distillery tours in Japan. Anyone know of any Japanese distillery still allowing visitors?
Don’t know and Nomunication updated the list over the last few days as previously there were still a few still open including the 2 Mars Distilleries. Now all the distilleries on the list show as closed though it doesn’t show every distillery in Japan.
https://www.nomunication.jp/2020/02/26/coronavirus-leads-to-tour-cancellations-at-japanese-whisky-distilleries/
I’m heading to Japan in March. I’ve had a couple sent to my brother in Yokohama, so at least I’ll get those! But it sounds like slim pickings otherwise. Hopefully I’ll be able to snag a few more – I’ll at least need something to drink whilst travelling around.
I hope Hibiki 21 won’t be the next one to go. I have a bad feeling it will be on the 2nd half of the year, after the 2020 Olympics.
First of all thank you Brian for posting great reviews! Your reviews guide me on what to try next! I am off a great start so far this year with some great scores on Ichiro’s, Hibiki, Mars, and Nikka whiskies. Yes making local friends who know about whisky is the key these days! It’s going to be a tough year for us whisky lovers. Good luck everyone!!
That sucks. Two years ago I found Hakushu 12yo at one bar for 4 EUR per 5cl. That is as close as I got to Japanese whisky in the last 5 years. There is absolutely no value. 4 years ago I tried my first pot still non sweetened Jamaican rum and I never looked back. Unfortunately now similar things are happening to rum market that happened longer time ago to whisky market (not as bad as in Japan yet). But I will never forget when I tried my first Japanese whisky 10+ years ago – Yamazaki 12yo. I should have stocked up on it if I only knew what would happen:) Also I had bad luck with Yamazaki 18yo 10 years ago. I got one from really horrible batch. Extremely sulphury and drinkable only from a hipflask with strong cigar. And I do like little bit of that dirty sulphur in my whisky but that was extreme, and stopped me from stocking up on Japanese whisky more than I did back then.
Even living in Japan doesn’t help much. Most of my finds these days are online, and even there I feel lucky to get anything because they go so fast. I think the move to lotteries that sites like Mars’ online store and Gaia Flow have done are helpful to at least give everyone a chance.
Agree with Metaman that Malt Bar South Park shutting down is sad, though not at all surprising given the very sad passing of the owner that preceded it. Thankfully new bars like Aloha Whisky have stepped in to fill a bit of that gap.
Good luck to everyone in 2020
I just updated and reviewed the inventory list for my collection and am amazed at how much the prices on the secondary market have changed over the last 4 years, and how scarce some bottles have become. Agreed that contacts in Japan are key to securing some of the most coveted (and even not so coveted) releases. Happy to see so many new entrants selling “real” Japanese whisky – hopefully their products will add to the unique tradition and range of styles that Suntory, Nikka, Karuizawa, Chichibu, and others have built.
Thanks for the shout-out!
No probs!
Welcome to another year of the Japanese Whisky Hunt.
As Brian has well chronicled, it’s only getting harder, but at least there are new distillery releases to look forward to in the coming year. Connections do help, but sometimes it’s just random luck and good timing that finds the bottle. Half of my good pickups this past year were just blind luck, or a good tip from this site (thanks guys).
If I could give people any pro-tips, it’s make friends with someone who lives in Japan, that you can have bottles shipped to, if you order online. Then make arrangements to visit Japan to pick them up, think of it as a vacation to Japan, with a special bonus awaiting you upon arrival.
My other piece of advice, if you’re heading to Japan, is not to try too hard to hunt for bottles, and take time to enjoy the many whisky bars around Japan, that offer many of these rare delights at least at semi-reasonable prices (compared to other countries). Sadly, my favorite Tokyo haunt, Malt Bar South Park, closed late last year.
Here’s what I see as one of the biggest obstacles of 2020 to a good Japanese whiksy hunt, the Tokyo Olympics. More and more international travelers are going to be headed to Japan in the months to come as part of tourist crowd before, during and after the games. Many already know Japanese Whiksy is becoming a rare luxury, and many more will be seeking it, some at any price, which will only drive up the market and after market prices.
Happy Hunting!
Good luck everyone.