Every once in a while something alcohol-related and interesting pops up on Japanese crowdfunding sites. One such project that I came across this past weekend is for the “ToRETOUR CASK,” basically an effort to buy a single cask of awamori, bottle it, then distribute it. […]

Japan-based organic food brand Brown Sugar 1st has teamed up with Royal Warrant-holder London & Scottish International to bring along a gin called “Black Chai Gin.” So no, it’s not actually a Japanese craft gin, given it’s not distilled in Japan. Instead it’s being distilled […]

Japan’s National Tax Agency has disclosed the approval of a license for Number One Drinks’ Kyoto Distillery to make liqueur. That’s important since up until now, The Kyoto Distillery has been solely focused on gin. And they do a damn good job of it, being […]

Around this time last year, I made a guess that the absence of Yamazaki Limited Edition 2018 in Suntory’s Summer Gift Collection meant that there would be no such release. That guess turned out to be accurate. Considering where we are with stocks of brand-name […]

Suntory’s Yamazaki Distillery, the first whisky distillery in Japan, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023. As a result, we expect several limited edition releases to come out of the distillery to commemorate the occasion. This is similar to how Nikka announced their Limited Edition 2019 […]

Mere hours after Hakkaisan Brewery announced their construction of a whisky distillery in Hokkaido’s Niseko, Niigata Beer has gone ahead and unveiled their plans for a whisky distillery in Niigata Prefecture. According to Nikkei, this one is will be happening sooner: Niigata Beer is renovating […]

The World Whiskies Awards results for 2019 are now in. Japan has once again made a great showing! This year it’s a testament to the expertise of Japanese blenders. That’s important because we’ll likely see more reliance on blending prowess–rather than age statements–for the next several […]

Brace yourselves, as one of Japan’s biggest sake makers is busting into the Japanese whisky scene in a huge way. Hakkaisan Brewery, makers of one of Japan’s most beloved sakes of the same name, has announced they’ll be building a 9900 square meter whisky distillery […]

Another Kagoshima-based shochu maker is joining the Japanese craft gin movement. This time around it’s called “Japanese Craft Gin Tsukusu” and comes out of Nishi Shuzo, a fairly well-known maker with a history going back to 1845. As we discussed a few weeks back, Kagoshima […]

Tonight we get involved with bottle 2 of 3 in the second series of THE ESSENCE of SUNTORY WHISKY. This time around we have a Yamazaki aged for 9 years in an ex-Montilla wine cask, bottled in 2019 at 55% abv. Montilla Wine Let’s get […]