Krishna Prasad is a much accomplished man and its an honour to publish his article on Whisky Horoheki on my blog on his request.
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The first Japanese whisky I tasted was a Nikka NAS, Pure Malt (2002),courtesy Serge Valentin during our first Malt Maniac’s trip to Scotland in 2003.It was not much of a whisky, but it was special, being my first Japanese dram. Although Japan has been making whisky for nearly 75 years, courtesy Masataka Taketsuru (much of whom later), it has not yet made its mark in the world of whiskies. Scotland is still ruling the world. And the scene is about to change.
The main reason Japan is still off the whisky pilgrimage map is that much of the action is still in Scotland, Ireland, and the US/Canada. When people visit these countries, visiting a distillery here and there is a natural extension of their sojourn. I was constantly looking for an opportunity to visit Japan, and when Single Malt Amateurs Club of Bangalore (SMAC) announced that they were making a whisky trip to Japan, could I let go of the opportunity?!
Whisky Horoheki (wanderlust in Japanese) is a 10-day trip to Osaka, Tokyo, and Yoichi to explore the distilleries at Chichibu, Yamazaki, and Yoichi,plus several whisky-exclusive bars in and around these cities. It is often said that if you want to drink the best whiskies of the world, go to Scotland, for best wines and cognacs, go to France, for the best of the ales go to Belgium, for the best bourbons go to America, but if you want to enjoy the best of all these at a single place- go to Japan.
An extract from “Drinking Japan” by Chris Bunting:
“Tokyo is probably the best place to drink Scottish Single Malts, not to mention Japanese Single Malts, as well as many other alcoholic beverages. Nicholas Coldicot, who writes about alcohol for The Japan Times says, Tokyo has a more diverse drinking scene than any city. You can drink Suntory Kakubin whisky highballs in a hole-in-the-wall, or Chateau Petrus by a glass in a Ginza salon. You can drink a 50-yen glass of a quasi beer and a 1919 Springbank for 7 million yen. From cocktail bars to izakayas, from snack pubs to roof top beer gardens, there seems to be an unusual array of drinking venues here”
The main problem with Japan distilleries and bars is that they are extremely averse to entertaining large groups. The reason is that they want to give individual attention to each and every member engaging in serious tasting and often curated by the owners themselves. Their bars are extremely tiny that cannot hold more than 5 to 6 people. With this in mind, SMAC had to restrict the group size to a maximum of 10, and it would not be out of place to mention here that the first bar we went to in Tokyo had to go in two batches!
After a couple of cultural orientations by SMAC (never knew that there are so many don’ts than do’s when you visit Japan!), the dramsters set off for Japan.
Osaka& Yamazaki, Feb 18-19, 2025
The motley group gathers at Hotel Nikko Osaka, nestled right in the center of Dotonbori late in the afternoon. We set off immediately to explore the city, ignoring ourred-eye flight fatigue. After a few local bars and dinner, we called it a day at midnight as we had to catch an early morning train to Yamazaki.
Yamazaki
Whisky Horoheki (wanderlust in Japanese) is a 10-day trip to Osaka, Tokyo, and Yoichi to explore the distilleries at Chichibu, Yamazaki, and Yoichi,plus several whisky-exclusive bars in and around these cities. It is often said that if you want to drink the best whiskies of the world, go to Scotland, for best wines and cognacs, go to France, for the best of the ales go to Belgium, for the best bourbons go to America, but if you want to enjoy the best of all these at a single place- go to Japan.
An extract from “Drinking Japan” by Chris Bunting:
“Tokyo is probably the best place to drink Scottish Single Malts, not to mention Japanese Single Malts, as well as many other alcoholic beverages. Nicholas Coldicot, who writes about alcohol for The Japan Times says, Tokyo has a more diverse drinking scene than any city. You can drink Suntory Kakubin whisky highballs in a hole-in-the-wall, or Chateau Petrus by a glass in a Ginza salon. You can drink a 50-yen glass of a quasi beer and a 1919 Springbank for 7 million yen. From cocktail bars to izakayas, from snack pubs to roof top beer gardens, there seems to be an unusual array of drinking venues here”
The main problem with Japan distilleries and bars is that they are extremely averse to entertaining large groups. The reason is that they want to give individual attention to each and every member engaging in serious tasting and often curated by the owners themselves. Their bars are extremely tiny that cannot hold more than 5 to 6 people. With this in mind, SMAC had to restrict the group size to a maximum of 10, and it would not be out of place to mention here that the first bar we went to in Tokyo had to go in two batches!
After a couple of cultural orientations by SMAC (never knew that there are so many don’ts than do’s when you visit Japan!), the dramsters set off for Japan.
Osaka& Yamazaki, Feb 18-19, 2025
The motley group gathers at Hotel Nikko Osaka, nestled right in the center of Dotonbori late in the afternoon. We set off immediately to explore the city, ignoring ourred-eye flight fatigue. After a few local bars and dinner, we called it a day at midnight as we had to catch an early morning train to Yamazaki.
Yamazaki
Shinjiro Torii (1879-1962), fondly called Torii-san,wisely chose this location in the middle of the busy Osaka-Kyoto route. Nowadays, the Shinkasen train hurtles down right at the edge of the distillery. “But the main reasonTorii-san chose this site is due to crystal clear waters that flow down from the confluence of Katsura, Uji, and Kizu rivers”, says Karen, our guide,taking us for a special private tour arranged by Suntory. The gently falling snowflakes, with a crisp zephyr blowing through the lush bamboo groves behind, welcomed the group. There couldn't be a better setting for a whisky tour, and I was already salivating for the ensuing dramming session.
It all started with Akadama port wine specially bottled for Kotobukiya Co. Ltd, which later became Suntory. But not until Masataka Taketsuru, the father of the whisky industry in Japan, joined Torii-san in 1920 did the actual making of whisky start. The first official and known whisky in Japan started in 1923 at Yamazaki. In 1934, Masataka Taketsuru left Suntory to establish his own whisky,Nikka at Yoichi, Hokkaido.
Two fair-sized mash tuns cater to wort making, supported by 18 washbacks, which are a mix of Oregon wood and steel. The fermentation lasts around 72 hours. Yamazaki makes both non-peaty and peaty spirits, and it seems they use a mix of yeasts. The real magic happens in the still house where 6 wash stills and 6 spirit stills churn out the new make. The stills are not big, more or less the size of Lagavulin, which explains the complexity of the Yamazaki spirit. The more interesting thing about the stills is their varying sizes and shapes with varying lyne arm angles, one being almost at 45 degrees, which produces very thick and complex spirit!.The house style is gentle, medium bodied, sweet Sakura florals with apples and strawberries. Also, they make two other house styles- a heavy unpeated and a heavy peated spirit. Most of the maturation of Yamazaki takes place elsewhere, although it has some warehouses on the site, mostly as a display to visitors.
It all started with Akadama port wine specially bottled for Kotobukiya Co. Ltd, which later became Suntory. But not until Masataka Taketsuru, the father of the whisky industry in Japan, joined Torii-san in 1920 did the actual making of whisky start. The first official and known whisky in Japan started in 1923 at Yamazaki. In 1934, Masataka Taketsuru left Suntory to establish his own whisky,Nikka at Yoichi, Hokkaido.
Two fair-sized mash tuns cater to wort making, supported by 18 washbacks, which are a mix of Oregon wood and steel. The fermentation lasts around 72 hours. Yamazaki makes both non-peaty and peaty spirits, and it seems they use a mix of yeasts. The real magic happens in the still house where 6 wash stills and 6 spirit stills churn out the new make. The stills are not big, more or less the size of Lagavulin, which explains the complexity of the Yamazaki spirit. The more interesting thing about the stills is their varying sizes and shapes with varying lyne arm angles, one being almost at 45 degrees, which produces very thick and complex spirit!.The house style is gentle, medium bodied, sweet Sakura florals with apples and strawberries. Also, they make two other house styles- a heavy unpeated and a heavy peated spirit. Most of the maturation of Yamazaki takes place elsewhere, although it has some warehouses on the site, mostly as a display to visitors.
In the tasting room, four versions of Yamazaki await us: The Yamazaki Puncheon, Spanish oak, Mizunara, and a 12-year-old. Karen takes us through the tasting of the spirits with a background screening of Yamazaki's history and tastings. All four are flawless, textbook whiskies displaying nose and palate typical of how they were meant to come out. In the end comes the surprise. A 25-year-old sherry champion. With complex dark fruits of raisins, plums, and dried figs accompanied by Indian spices like clove, cinnamon, and star anise, and an everlasting finish, this is a true 92-pointer any day,even in my blind tastings.
The tour ends with a visit to the shopping center. A remarkable experience indeed!
Bar Freedom, Osaka
The owner, Tony-san, is a cheerful and knowledgeable youngster who knows his malts. He very intelligently selected some of the champion Japanese whiskies made from different parts of Japan, from Hokkaido to down south in Kagoshima prefecture. On counter for tasting are Peated Mars Tsunuki, Mars The Y.A (a blended malt), The Yuza, Yamazakura Sakura cask, Shizuoka (K), Shizuoka (W), Eigashima Sextet, Kanosuke Single Malt and an Osuzu Cedar barrel. What blew me away were the sherried Kanosuke and The Yuza.
Tokyo, Feb 20-24, 2025
Campbeltown Loch- The bar is so tiny that we had to go in two batches, and I was in the first batch. You get down (or up?) via spiral steps cluttered with all the unwanted whisky memorabilia. The theme is Campbeltown, and the owner, Noble-san, is a Springbank freak! He and his assistant behind the countercan't speak English but know their whiskies. All communication is by sign language interspersed with Google Translate. The whiskies are old- both blends and SMs. I start with a 30-year-old Claymore, bottled somewhere in 70s. So, the spirit goes back to the early WWII days. With more malt than grains and typical OBE (Old Bottle Effect), it was an outstanding dram. Then a Scoma 24-year-old Springbank, a Glenugie 1968 (G&M’s), and a Ballindalloch 8 yo. Just as I was exploring some hidden stuff high up in the shelves, the second batch arrived, and we had to vacate the place hurriedly.
Bar Kage, Ginza
Down in the basement, the setup is completely different. The skillfully lit atmosphere takes you to a serene world. The owner, Kage-san, is waiting to welcome the crowd at the door. He has reserved the10–12-seater place exclusively for us. Like Tony-san at Bar Freedom, Kage-san has lined up exclusive Japanese whiskies for us.
The flights of the evening were like this: Yoichi Apple Brandy wood bottled for the 100th wedding anniversary of Masataka Takesturu and his Scottish wife Rita. Then followed Marsmalt triple cask, Kanosuke Nouveau Beginnings Sherry cask, and a Chichibu Ichiro’s malt. Then followed the winner of the day. Ichiro’s Malt and Grain World Blended whisky, Cask No 14056 at 57%.
Chichibu Distillery
Bar Freedom, Osaka
The owner, Tony-san, is a cheerful and knowledgeable youngster who knows his malts. He very intelligently selected some of the champion Japanese whiskies made from different parts of Japan, from Hokkaido to down south in Kagoshima prefecture. On counter for tasting are Peated Mars Tsunuki, Mars The Y.A (a blended malt), The Yuza, Yamazakura Sakura cask, Shizuoka (K), Shizuoka (W), Eigashima Sextet, Kanosuke Single Malt and an Osuzu Cedar barrel. What blew me away were the sherried Kanosuke and The Yuza.
Tokyo, Feb 20-24, 2025
Campbeltown Loch- The bar is so tiny that we had to go in two batches, and I was in the first batch. You get down (or up?) via spiral steps cluttered with all the unwanted whisky memorabilia. The theme is Campbeltown, and the owner, Noble-san, is a Springbank freak! He and his assistant behind the countercan't speak English but know their whiskies. All communication is by sign language interspersed with Google Translate. The whiskies are old- both blends and SMs. I start with a 30-year-old Claymore, bottled somewhere in 70s. So, the spirit goes back to the early WWII days. With more malt than grains and typical OBE (Old Bottle Effect), it was an outstanding dram. Then a Scoma 24-year-old Springbank, a Glenugie 1968 (G&M’s), and a Ballindalloch 8 yo. Just as I was exploring some hidden stuff high up in the shelves, the second batch arrived, and we had to vacate the place hurriedly.
Bar Kage, Ginza
Down in the basement, the setup is completely different. The skillfully lit atmosphere takes you to a serene world. The owner, Kage-san, is waiting to welcome the crowd at the door. He has reserved the10–12-seater place exclusively for us. Like Tony-san at Bar Freedom, Kage-san has lined up exclusive Japanese whiskies for us.
The flights of the evening were like this: Yoichi Apple Brandy wood bottled for the 100th wedding anniversary of Masataka Takesturu and his Scottish wife Rita. Then followed Marsmalt triple cask, Kanosuke Nouveau Beginnings Sherry cask, and a Chichibu Ichiro’s malt. Then followed the winner of the day. Ichiro’s Malt and Grain World Blended whisky, Cask No 14056 at 57%.
Chichibu Distillery
The next day, we are off to the much-awaited Chichibu distillery. There are no general public visits to this distillery unless you know Akuto-san directly. No visit to Chichibu or its whisky is complete unless the stories of Ichiro Akuta-san and his family history entwined with Hanyu are told.
Akuto-san’s family has been making Sake and Shochu for exactly 400 years in Chichibu and Akashi Straits near Kobe. Eigashima, in fact, had a license to produce whisky as far back as 1919, and there is a contention whether Yamazaki or Eigashima is the first whisky distillery of Japan! Whatever, in the 1980s, Akuto-san started making whisky in the name of Hanyu, and the times were not conducive to whisky selling. By the year 2000, he was burdened with 400 unsold casks of Hanyu. For a person like Akuto-san, it is difficult to remain quiet, and the idea of making whisky again sprouted in 2007. But he has no money. So, a brilliant idea came up to bottle the casks of Hanyu as a deck of cards series to finance Chichibu! It was a great hit, and today, one has to sell a kidney to own a bottle of Hanyu!
Chichibu is a small, hands-on working distillery. The distillery is set at the foothills of ChichibuTama-Kai National Park, a three-hour bus journey from Tokyo, and reminds me of the Cairn Distillery at Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. On the day when the pilgrims arrived, Tai Chi, a young kid of sophomore years, welcomed us. He is in charge and does A-Z at the distillery. It looks like Akuto-san has a special knack for identifying and training youngsters in distillation.
At Chichibu, the visitors have a feel of everything that goes into making whisky. Right from barley sack opening, separating foreign materials in it, to malt mill feeding, grist and wort making, fermentation, and distillation. Chichibu’s washbacks are made of Mizunara wood, and that’s where the Chichibu spirit differs from other spirits. I have never come across such a grassy, herbal, floral, and fruity fermentation anywhere. There is one wort tank, eight small-sized Mizunara washbacks, and two small stills. Everything is situated in a medium-sized shed, and it doesn’t take more than one minute to walk across the entire plant! Tai chi-san takes pleasure in explaining everything about the distillery and takes you through different aspects of new makes of Chichibu.
At the visitor’s center, an array of Chichibu bottles was opened for tasting. It starts with a new make that tastes exactly like what was mentioned before. There are two Ichiro’s Malt and Grain, a Classic Edition, a Wine World Reserve, a Double Distillation, Red Wine Cask, and a floor-malted“On The Way”. All were exceptional whiskies, but the Malt and Grain whiskies were the top notch.
Highlander Inn
After a hearty lunch at a local traditional Japanese restaurant, we headed for our next bar- The Highlander Inn. Situated in the picturesque village, the bar guys looked like they were completely exhausted by the recently finished whisky festival!Even though set in typical Japanese style, the bar also has several Scottish whiskies stored in cages on the walls. Actually, it is more of a restaurant bar than a typical bar that serves whiskies.
On the menu were five Ichiro’s Malts. A Japanese blended whisky at 46.5%, Single Malt Chibidaru Quarter Cask at 63%, Single Malt MDC 10 yo at 63%, a 9 yo Cognac cask at 67%, and a Distillery II Single Malt First Fill Sherry at 60%. The 9-year-old Cognac cask was a special of the lot and required some guts to finish it!
Paying respects to Fuji-san
You are in Japan, and how can you not visit Mount Fuji? Mount Fuji, along with Mount Asahi in Hokkaido, are the two most revered mountains in Japan, and the people call Mt Fuji fondly as Fuji-san. The bus ride takes about 4 hours from Tokyo, and it is a full-day return trip. Mt Fuji, standing at 3776 meters, is still an active volcano, and it last erupted during the last years of our Aurangzeb’s Bar reign. Folks say that the ashes flew and fell as far as Tokyo and Osaka. Because the region is volcanic, there are several onsens (hot water baths), golf courses, and resorts in the area. What struck me most was the way they have preserved the region and the crystal-clear spring waters coming down the slopes. There are several ponds in which a variety of trout fish grow naturally. I had a taste of the spring water and bought a one-liter bottle to carry home (to add to my malts)!
Paying respects to Fuji-san
You are in Japan, and how can you not visit Mount Fuji? Mount Fuji, along with Mount Asahi in Hokkaido, are the two most revered mountains in Japan, and the people call Mt Fuji fondly as Fuji-san. The bus ride takes about 4 hours from Tokyo, and it is a full-day return trip. Mt Fuji, standing at 3776 meters, is still an active volcano, and it last erupted during the last years of our Aurangzeb’s Bar reign. Folks say that the ashes flew and fell as far as Tokyo and Osaka. Because the region is volcanic, there are several onsens (hot water baths), golf courses, and resorts in the area. What struck me most was the way they have preserved the region and the crystal-clear spring waters coming down the slopes. There are several ponds in which a variety of trout fish grow naturally. I had a taste of the spring water and bought a one-liter bottle to carry home (to add to my malts)!
There is a ropeway and a ferry ride across one of the five lakes that surround Mt Fuji. Overall, a worthy trip and not to be missed when you visit Japan.
Bar Tamahiko
The best bar of the whole trip. Situated in Ikebukuro, the owner, Kimizuka-san, is a man of fine taste. Not to speak of whiskies, he has one of the finest music systemsand a rare watch collection. He insists that he play his vinyl records while the tasting goes on, and he is not wrong! Like other places in Japan, the bar is tiny, which can barely seat the group. We are his special customers for the evening, and he has lined up some fine vintages even before we arrived at the scene.
1960s Vat 69 Italian import,1960s Aberlour-Glenlivet Italian import, 12 yo Dalmore (1970s Excl Japan release), 12 yo Royal Lochnagar (Prince Albert release) and a Laphroaig 15 yo pre royal warrant.
The bar has one of the best old whisky collections in Japan, and one Glenlivet Vatted Scotch released by Turnbull Whisky Dealer in the late 1800s caught our eye. How can I miss such a rare dram! This, perhaps is one of the oldest whiskies we have ever tried! The dramming continued with several other rare and old vantages,including old White Horses, Ballantine’s, a 5 yo Glen Scotia of 1950s, a 10 yo Tormore, an Old Crow of 1960. The dramming went on and on and we had to call off the night before the group had gone further berserk. It was one of the best old and rare whiskies dramming at a single place I ever had.
Bar Aloha
Owned by David Tsujimoto, who is originally from Hawaii, the bar is well stocked with both Scotch and Japanese whiskies. On the day we arrived, we just missed Dave Broom, who was on a master class session during the day. The Benrinnes (27.10.1997), 52%, Cask no 9747 was a stunner, followed by 24 yo Orkney (a Highland Park) was superb apart from several local whiskies.The evening went mainly about conversing over whiskies as there were few other customers from Hawaii to whom we offered a few drams of the SMAC club releaseof Paul John. It blew the Hawaiians away!
Tokyo Whisky Library
This is the last bar on our Tokyo trip. This is more of a restaurant than a bar, although there are several pricey Japanese whiskies stacked on the walls resembling a library with books.
Bow Bar& Nikka Yoichi, Sapporo, (Feb 25-26, 2025)
The Bow Bar
We flew from Tokyo to Sapporo on the 25th and landed on a snowy evening. There was snow everywhere, and the temperature was subzero. We had to warm up and immediately hit the most famous bar in the town.
Bar Aloha
Owned by David Tsujimoto, who is originally from Hawaii, the bar is well stocked with both Scotch and Japanese whiskies. On the day we arrived, we just missed Dave Broom, who was on a master class session during the day. The Benrinnes (27.10.1997), 52%, Cask no 9747 was a stunner, followed by 24 yo Orkney (a Highland Park) was superb apart from several local whiskies.The evening went mainly about conversing over whiskies as there were few other customers from Hawaii to whom we offered a few drams of the SMAC club releaseof Paul John. It blew the Hawaiians away!
Tokyo Whisky Library
This is the last bar on our Tokyo trip. This is more of a restaurant than a bar, although there are several pricey Japanese whiskies stacked on the walls resembling a library with books.
Bow Bar& Nikka Yoichi, Sapporo, (Feb 25-26, 2025)
The Bow Bar
We flew from Tokyo to Sapporo on the 25th and landed on a snowy evening. There was snow everywhere, and the temperature was subzero. We had to warm up and immediately hit the most famous bar in the town.
The owner, Junya-san, is a strict headmaster. Maintaining discipline and decorum is a sine qua non! All the whiskies are more or less in the same league as the Tamahiko bar in Tokyo, but with double the prices. Junya-san has been collecting whiskies for over three decades, and most of his sources are from Italy. So, you would find all old, Italian releases here. After considering some rare vintages and checking up the value of my purse, I zeroed in on a 17 yo, Siver Seal Springbank, a 12 yo Glenesk Silver Seal and a Chateu Du Lacquy Armagnac. The Springbank has taken air, but the other two were excellent.
Nikka at Yoichi
The visit to Nikka in Hokkaido was originally not in the itinerary. “There is no point in coming all the way to Japan and not visiting Yoichi”, I said to the SMAC guys. They had to agree, and so the trip was extended by two days!
There is a certain romance when it comes to Yoichi and Masataka Taketsuru-san did not simply choose this site to make whisky. He had vision. Coming to this place took me back to my first distillery visit at Lagavulin in 1997. You have to fly to Sapporo from Tokyo, then take a train to Otaru and a bus to Yoichi. The train journey takes you along the shores of the Sea of Japan; Vladivostok is just across the waters,and you are reminded of the train speeding across snowy Siberian landscape scenes from Dr. Zhivago.
There is a lot of secrecy at Nikka, and the tour guide (who speaks only in Japanese) takes you through a rudimentary tour. But if you pay attention around, you would know why Taketsuru-san chose this site. It has all the qualities of a Scottish distillery. Abundant clear water,fuel supply, and the climate, which varies from -4C in winter to about 25C in summer. On the day we arrived, it was -1C! I have heard about direct coal-fired stills but never saw them in any distillery. The last direct coal-fired stills at Glen Grant were shut down in 1972 as did many in Scotland.Here at Yoichi, it was both a shock and a surprise to see the direct-fired coal stills. It is extremely difficult to manage the stills as it requires deft operations of addingor removing fire to
control distillation. But it pays off in yielding a heavy,oily-based complex Yoichi spirit. Many of the Yoichis are peaty but not Islay-like. Perhaps more like Springbank aligning with Campbeltown character, where Taketsuru-san studied whisky in his youth. At the visitor’s center, we are offered some basic drams to taste, which were not much of interest. But I know Yoichi is a big whisky, and it costs an arm and a leg to acquire some of the Yoichi Taketsuru releases.
Japanese people make whiskyusing a simple recipe, just like they make everything else- a combination of perfection, love, and commitment, and when you make anything using these ingredients, nothing can go wrong.
Arigato Nippon, for all the wonderful experiences I had. Sayonara till I return.
Krishna Nukala
March 13, 2025
(This epistle did not require any AI or ChatGPT assistance)
