tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post3149316353935554552..comments2024-03-16T11:28:41.525-04:00Comments on Diving for Pearls: Whisky Observations from Japan (or Where the Hell is the Japanese Whisky?)Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-91612674909005292412015-04-15T02:47:56.205-04:002015-04-15T02:47:56.205-04:00Hmm. Looks like my comments section hiccuped. :) ...Hmm. Looks like my comments section hiccuped. :) But it does bear repeating that the bars are the place to go for the good stuff.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-34781092497298162432015-04-13T10:49:23.534-04:002015-04-13T10:49:23.534-04:00Additionally, there is amazing stuff available in ...Additionally, there is amazing stuff available in bars for silly (low) prices....so if you want to try, do that. Good stuff available to buy at some distilleries too....Brethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04089117920860200250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-87138573543930931962015-04-13T01:29:37.153-04:002015-04-13T01:29:37.153-04:00Yes, the bars are incredible. Sometimes they provi...Yes, the bars are incredible. Sometimes they provide the only way for many of us to try certain whiskies. If (or when!) I go back to Japan, I'll definitely visit Nikka's distilleries.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-46228406061055963322015-04-13T01:26:43.781-04:002015-04-13T01:26:43.781-04:00Thanks for the comments, Bret! Yep, I think your l...Thanks for the comments, Bret! Yep, I think your list sums it up. I wouldn't be surprised if you and I heard the Chinese buyers thing from the same bar owner. The secondary market has become a hell of a creature, and I wonder if it will someday begin to eat its own tail.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-81819603873782797552015-04-13T01:22:20.436-04:002015-04-13T01:22:20.436-04:00Thanks for your comment, Will! A Tokyo resident!
...Thanks for your comment, Will! A Tokyo resident!<br /><br />Yes, Jim Murray's declarations seem to cause a lot of trouble even though so few people have a palate like his (for good or ill). And I had a sinking feeling the moment I saw his most recent Whisky of the Year declaration. You enumerate a number of very good reasons for the shortage in the shops. And I'm glad that the Nikka malts can be found with age statements in some places. They were indeed more prevalent than the absent Suntory age statements, but they were still challenging to find in all of my searches, which is too bad because I'm a big Yoichi fan.<br /><br />And yeah, I agree that Chichibu (and a lot of what Akuto-san does) represents a good future for Japanese whisky.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-83596900446825188012015-04-12T21:30:49.358-04:002015-04-12T21:30:49.358-04:00Additionally, there is amazing stuff available in ...Additionally, there is amazing stuff available in bars for silly (low) prices....so if you want to try, do that. Good stuff available to buy at some distilleries too....Brethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04089117920860200250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-64767028252614046752015-04-12T21:28:17.121-04:002015-04-12T21:28:17.121-04:00Gone because of the price rise on April 1st, Jim M...Gone because of the price rise on April 1st, Jim Murray publicity stunt, the morning drama (asadora) based on the Nikka founder and his wife, the general increase in popularity over time, and last but not least - Chinese buyers. (That may be right or wrong, but what I've been told by a major bar owner in Tokyo and several shop owners - observationally the influx of Chinese tourists is very evident)<br /><br />The speculator and secondary market is a self powering machine and reached critical mass a while ago....perhaps that is the true source of the frenzy.Brethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04089117920860200250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-15845624313169948242015-04-12T00:21:29.643-04:002015-04-12T00:21:29.643-04:00The good bottle shops here in Tokyo can go weeks w...The good bottle shops here in Tokyo can go weeks without having Yamazaki 12 or 18 on the shelves, but this has been the way since Jim Murray called Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 the world's best; whether or not people actually understand that the Yamazaki they're buying up isn't that Yamazaki is unknown to me, but I can assure you, it's not just the Chinese buying it all up. As for Nikka single malts, Yoichi and Miyagikyo 10, 12 and 15 are still fairly easy to get hands on, but with the popularity of a TV show about Masataka Taketsuru's life, combined with Taketsuru 17 being named world's best malt blend at WWA, Taketsuru 17 and 21 disappeared from shelves almost overnight. Right now, you have to be a Johnny (Jenny)-on-the-spot to get a bottle, and I'm willing to be this is not because the Chinese are buying them all up.<br /><br />The best young whisky (3 years) being produced in Japan right now, and it's not even close, is Ichiro's Malt Chichibu, a small craft whisky distillery in Saitama Prefecture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-75058162757280677472015-04-10T11:41:31.126-04:002015-04-10T11:41:31.126-04:00@Anonymous #2 - I have heard that certain groups o...@Anonymous #2 - I have heard that certain groups of new Asian wealth are cleaning out many of the auctions for super-premium Scotch whisky. But my assumption with the many of the Chinese buyers of Japanese whisky is that they're flipping it for much higher prices back home.<br /><br />When I was in Duty Free in Narita Airport there was a Chinese family (or at least they were flying back to Shanghai) that bought ALL of the chocolate in the shop. And I mean cart loads of it. Perhaps they were going to eat it all themselves...Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-54542031813933819352015-04-10T11:36:09.041-04:002015-04-10T11:36:09.041-04:00All of the department stores (including Isetan) we...All of the department stores (including Isetan) were very picked over when I was there. That might be due to the fact that I was there during prime tourist season (cherry blossoms!). And I had a lot of difficulty even finding Hibiki 12. Yoichi and Miyagikyo 10 were the most prevalent age stated ones I found, in about half the stores.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-23278765245847507812015-04-10T04:42:17.796-04:002015-04-10T04:42:17.796-04:00But why don't they buy Scottish whisky then?
...But why don't they buy Scottish whisky then? <br />Do they like JP whisky so much or are they trying to profit?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-636841666886046422015-04-07T21:37:07.278-04:002015-04-07T21:37:07.278-04:00Actually that's exactly what the shop keepers ...Actually that's exactly what the shop keepers told me, Chinese buyers just came in and bought the whole lot of them.<br /><br />I think in terms of getting a bottle of the special expressions the only real chance, apart from popping by Isetan frequently, are events like Whiskey Festival and Modern Malt Market. Which is really a shame, like you said some of us just want to drink a bottle.<br /><br />Good news is that the more common age-statement whiskey like Hibiki, Yoichi, etc., at least in Osaka, can be found pretty much everywhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-29400773997083221332015-04-07T17:29:03.473-04:002015-04-07T17:29:03.473-04:00That sounds like what's going on with the prem...That sounds like what's going on with the premium-priced whiskies in the Scotch and American markets, but even more intensely so. This speculation movement is disappointing for those of us who just want to drink a bottle. I mean, it IS whiskey and all. I was told by two different Japanese whisky folks that Chinese buyers were behind a lot of the Japan purchases. Not sure if that's true or just a little bit of subtle cultural antagonism.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-90211186663381581402015-04-07T05:24:41.570-04:002015-04-07T05:24:41.570-04:00I live in Osaka and I can tell you the whiskey did...I live in Osaka and I can tell you the whiskey didn't make it here either... Chatting with the owners of the shops it appears that buyers just started showing up and buying everything by the case. There are signs now in the department shops like Isetan stating that one client can only buy one bottle (certain types of whiskies like Nikka's 40 year old). You used to be able to find Hanyu card series or even owner's casks (as per whiskies r us) in the dept. stores as late as 1.5 years ago.<br /><br />There's also rampant speculation about Japanese whiskey right now on the market. I bought a limited edition 2014 yamazaki single malt for 8,000 yen, it now sells for 15,000-30,000 in some places.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-78998723988065466772015-04-07T01:32:14.016-04:002015-04-07T01:32:14.016-04:00Yeah, the shopkeepers I met were very nice, though...Yeah, the shopkeepers I met were very nice, though I spoke no more than a half dozen words of Japanese and would have loved to have chatted about the whiskies on the shelves. Next time I go to Japan (if there is a next time) I do hope to go up North.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-30155474658526217902015-04-07T01:25:06.380-04:002015-04-07T01:25:06.380-04:00That's true, and then the obsessions move onto...That's true, and then the obsessions move onto another booze.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-14348749181709254392015-04-06T17:59:39.267-04:002015-04-06T17:59:39.267-04:00Unfortunately what you encountered is the reality ...Unfortunately what you encountered is the reality of the situation, and getting worse on a weekly basis. You can fare better in smaller cities as you go North, or by making friends with shopkeepers sick of investors and hoarders. My experience is that displaying a genuine appreciation of whisky goes far and will sometimes produce a bottle or two that is available for sale.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-5598131986947323342015-04-06T14:58:11.036-04:002015-04-06T14:58:11.036-04:00American booze obsessions tend to be narrow and fo...American booze obsessions tend to be narrow and focused.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448702693643593156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-20663635692212257752015-04-06T13:46:15.922-04:002015-04-06T13:46:15.922-04:00Sounds about right. Winesearcher says that Yamaza...Sounds about right. Winesearcher says that Yamazaki 12's US price has gone up 70% in four years. The 18yo has gone up 113% in that time period. Hakushu 12 has only gone up 10% in that time. Yamazaki 12's not even available in SoCal anymore, but Hakushu 12 can still be found for $60.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-63401704809328880372015-04-06T13:38:26.831-04:002015-04-06T13:38:26.831-04:00From the sound of things, even America is going to...From the sound of things, even America is going to be getting very, very slim allocations of Suntory whiskies in future. Oregon is just about out of Yamazaki 12, though the other standards are alright, albeit continually creeping up in price ($69 is now the low end).Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448702693643593156noreply@blogger.com