Killing Whisky History, Episode 5 - Three Decades of Chivas Regal 12

It's the 1950s versus 1970s versus 2010s in this month's Killing Whisky History episode. This trio of Chivases, or Chivae, presented me with a pair of surprises, one positive, one not. If you think the 8:30 runtime is long, you should have seen the 14:30 Heaven's-Gate-director's-edition Ralfy-sized second cut. No, you shouldn't have seen it. It has been destroyed. This edit was approved by blind studio executives and me.

The brand and bottle history lessons end at 3:42, after which the tastings and faces begin.

Malt Bar South Park, the second night, part two

Malt Bar South Park posts
1. Bar introduction
2. Night One
3. Night Two, part one
4. Night Two, part two

(Continued from Part One)

Malt Bar South Park's special guest, a thin bespectacled man wearing a checked pattern shirt that was somehow both conservative and riotously colorful, was greeted by the owner as soon as he walked through the door. He gave the owner a bottle of whisky as a gift as they chatted in the right corner of the bar. After several minutes he came over and sat in his reserved seat next to me. We nodded to each other and I went back to nosing my glass of Tomatin.

Once I'd emptied my glass, the bartender, Fujita-san, came over with the bottle of Ardmore I'd tried earlier. He pointed to the bottle and said, "Whiskyfind", referring to the independent bottler of the whisky. Then he gestured to the man next to me and said, "This is Whiskyfind". The guest nodded and laughed.

And I replied, "So I guess you find whiskies."

Yep, I said that.

I felt like a robot toilet.

Let's quantify this idiocy.
1. The man laughed politely. But then things got quiet. Even the bartender walked away.
2. It truly was my "Well, we're not in Kansas anymore" (of Swingers fame) line.
3. I said it LOUD and SLOW, as if he were deaf and mentally handicapped rather than being from another country.
4. Because the gentleman was of Asian background, I had assumed he was Japanese.

His name was Odin Chou and, it turns out, he was not Japanese, but Taiwanese. And he spoke perfect English.

To recover from my social fart, I turned to the one subject that whisky nerds can talk about. Whisky. We talked about Ardmore. Odin walked me through how his company works. I detailed the bizarro world of spirit sales in the USA.

He asked, "Have you tried the Craigellachie?"

I then tried the Craigellachie.

Craigellachie 26 year old 1990 The Whiskyfind for Mash Tun Tokyo, cask 5401, 50.1%abv

Color - light gold
Nose - Very nutty (hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, almonds), peach, candle wax, lots of cereal notes and a whisper of caramel sauce.
Palate - Malty malt. Lemons and limes. Salt and dunnage. Soft, silky texture.
Finish - Candle wax and tangy citrus meet up with salty and savory notes.

Words - This is the oldest non-sherried Craigellachie I've had, and it's the best. Excellent mouthfeel, complex nose. Again, no oak obstruction. Instead, the whisky imparts the gentle passing of time.
Grade: 89

I suddenly remembered that Fujita-san had recommended a Port Charlotte to me on the first night, but I knew that I was d-o-n-e done after the pair of Ledaigs. I had promised to come back and try it. So there I was on my second night. It was time to give it a go.

Port Charlotte 11 year old 2004 bourbon cask for Malt Bar South Park, 58.9%abv

Color - light gold
Nose -  Very pretty for a Port Charlotte. Cocoa, roasted smoked almonds, anise, brown sugar, lime and confectioneries. Also grilled vegetables and bacon.
Palate - Brown sugar, barbecue, sweet cherries and peat. A great bitter bite. Much less heat than expected.
Finish - Peat, anise, cherries, brine and a wallop (or dollop) of horseradish.

Words - Clean crisp PC with a more moderate level of peating than usual, so it's not a palate-killer like some PCs can be. Friendly good stuff.
Grade: 86

Odin then shared pours of a trio of 1989 Burnsides, as well as an Allied-era Ardbeg. (Thank you, Odin.) We discussed the high quality of the former and the delicate grace of the latter. Modern Ardbeg and Laphroaig are bereft of the fruits and subtleties of their old versions, and have replaced them with aggressive peat and/or oak levels.

He was very generous with his time and we spoke for hours. He shared his extensive experiences with the whisky scene in mainland China, as well as his thoughts on the future of Suntory's single malts. I cautiously inquired about his opinion on Kavalan, and then burst out laughing when his opinion of that distillery matched mine precisely.

Amidst this conversation, Malt Bar South Park's owner, Futakata-san (I think!), brought over pours from his YAMAZAKI OWNER'S CASK. How many times can one man say arigato gozaimasu, before things get embarrassing? Whatever it is, I passed that quantity instantly.

(Yes, Serge has had this cask. It is cask #5J3072, 63%abv. Here's the link.)

It was one of the richest whiskies I've ever had. Layer upon dense layer of malt and fruit and rich oak and nuts...

...and that is when my pen died. My phone had already plotzed so nothing was recorded, anywhere. All I could do was be mindful and fully experience the moment.

I did. And it was wonderful.

I treasure these encounters. Writing about them refreshes me. The kindness and graciousness extended to me by strangers throughout my trip overwhelms me still and keeps me aglow in times of struggle and doubt.

Malt Bar South Park, the second night, part one

Malt Bar South Park posts
1. Bar introduction
2. Night One
3. Night Two, part one
4. Night Two, part two

My second trip to Malt Bar South Park marked my final Japanese bar stop. I found my way to the Nakano bar using a printed-out map and my memory. Parts of my cellphone didn't work that night, nor the next. (Frankly, fuck my Samsung Galaxy S6 for being useless when I was lost and in trouble during this trip. I'm happily ridding myself of it this week.) For instance, neither my wireless or data worked that night. Neither did the keyboard. Neither did the power, at times. But the camera randomly functioned (as you'll see below), until it didn't.

As a result the notes for this night were handwritten on the back of the map...until my brand new pen ran dry.

Despite these issues, this experience was awesome. I'll add the narrative for your enjoyment.

---

After I'd bypassed Malt Bar South Park, again, I found it, then rushed down the stairs to find shelter. Fujita-san was still behind the bar. Everything was still spotless.

The seat at the center of the bar had a "RESERVED" card, which I dumbly and Americanly didn't see as I sat down on it. The owner's wife hurried over to politely ask me to move to another seat, explaining that a special guest was expected to arrive soon. So I thought it would be a great idea to plant my ass next to this mystery person's seat.

After getting another great plate of fruits and nuts and dark chocolate, I began with an Ardmore from an independent bottler that does its business only on that side of the Pacific Ocean.

Ardmore 16 year old 2000 The Whiskyfind for Mash Tun Tokyo, cask 800214, 55.5%abv

Color - light amber
Nose - Very fruity. Lychee, Meyer lemon, apricot and barbecued peach(?). Mild peat, subtle vanilla. Wet sheep!
Palate - More smoke here. Tangy and lemony, with a nice sprinkle of cayenne pepper. From my notes: "Sweet, though almost out of its baby fat phase." Yes, this was my first drink.
Finish - Smoke, lemon and sugar. There was something Hakushu-ish about it.

Words: This is a good intro for drinkers new to Ardmore thanks to its lemons and beachy peat. Despite its 16 years, there was no oak interrupting the flow. I liked it.
Grade: 85

Sherried Inchgower!

Inchgower 32 year old 1980 The Whisky Agency, refill sherry butt, 52%abv

Color - gold, Jerry
Nose - Chocolate fudge, chocolate frosting, chocolate pudding. Nutty pudding. Leather. #FromMyNotes "Nummy sulfur".
Palate - Chocolatey, similar to the nose, but there's also pineapple and peaches. Smoked paprika. Fresh ginger and lychee. Its fruitiness grows with time. Just a whisper of gunpowder, like a seasoning.
Finish - The fruit remains in the finish, shedding the chocolate. Some new notes of oranges and nuts. A hint of smoke.

Words: A treat. The chocolate is a bit heavy on the nose. Though that sounds silly as a complaint, the chocolate's weight prevents additional depth. The whisky is at its best once the fruit comes through in the mouth. (And no, I have no idea what the heck Serge was drinking when he reviewed this, an issue I've been finding with increasing frequency.) But this whisky would be great for dessert.
Grade: 87

I had to do it. One 1978, please.

Tomatin 35 year old 1978 Cadenhead small batch, bourbon hogsheads, 44.4%abv

Color - light gold
Nose - Dunnage. Musty melons. Chalk. Mangoes. Canned peaches and pears. A biscuity malty note. It picks up some oomph with time.
Palate - It's as thick as a liqueur. Loaded with fresh peaches and mangoes. The fruits' essences rather than sugars. Dunnage! A hint of herbal bitterness.
Finish - All tropical and stone fruits, playing separately, then together.

Words: Yes, this was a small batch and, yes, that ABV is accurate. Cadenhead has a few of these '78s with low abv. The result is whisky concentrate. And it is fab. Romantic, even.
Grade: 92

So there I was, sipping on this whisky, looking like a total baller, when the special guest walked in.

To be continued...

Malt Bar South Park, the first night

Yes, there was a second night at Malt Bar South Park. But, as logic would dictate, if there was a second night, then there was also a first.

(Also, click here for yesterday's intro to this drinking establishment.)

Because the atmosphere (and music) made for a perfect drinking experience, I'm going to be silly and give these whiskies number grades.

More Ben Nevis?
Of course more Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis 22 year old 1992 Cadenhead Small Batch, bourbon hogsheads, 53.5%abv

Color - Light gold
Nose - Lemons, grapefruit, berries and anise. A hint of alcohol showing through.
Palate - My kind of BN. The aromatic herbal and lightly peated note bursts through instantly. Fudgy chocolate, earth and cantaloupe.
Finish - Honey and cantaloupe, with a lovely round herbal bitterness.

Words: It's bang on, as I think some people say. The nose and palate are quite different, both are good, though the palate gets the edge here. Very solid overall, though complexity isn't its strong point.
Grade: 86

Longrow 14 year old 2002 Cadenhead Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 49.3%abv

Color - crumbling crispy corn husks
Nose - Islay, GTFO. Springbank has beaten you at your game. Raucously medicinal, full of disinfectant and bandages. Clay, plaster and seashells. An old hospital. Gone mad. By the sea.
Palate - Dirty. Dirt. Direct. Dynamite. But never hot. Horseradish, barley, and soil. Hints of white fruits and sugars. Mmmmedicinal.
Finish - Similar to palate, but friendlier. Medicine drops back, barley and white fruit move forward. Again, no heat.

Words: Longrow had been letting me down recently, but this restored my confidence. Dear Springbank, more of this please. Cheers.
Grade: 90

Arran 21 year old 1995 for Malt House Islay, sherry hogshead, 49.6%abv

Color - Gold
Nose - A French patisserie: cocoa, vanilla extract, marmelade, figs and pineapple.
Palate - A happy absence of generic sherry raisins. Instead it's full of mint and chocolate and vanilla ice cream. The tannins roll in but don't overwhelm. Plenty of oak spice. Grows sweeter with time.
Finish - Roasted notes, toffee, some decent tannins. Neither mouth-drying nor hot.

Words: The 21st year may have been the longest this whisky could take the oak. It walks right up to the line. Usually 10-15 years is my preferred Arran window, but this makes for a good dessert whisky. Gorgeous nose on it.
Grade: 87

And then I saw two Ledaigs...

Ledaig 19 year old 1997 Cadenhead single cask, bourbon hogshead, 53.9%abv

Color - Gold
Nose - Barbecue, seaweed, fishy. Tsukiji Market after hours. (Sorry.) Smoke.
Palate - Oh, rugged after all these years. Dirty and bitter, but in that great way. Big salt and smoke. There's a hint of sweetness that wiggles up, then gets stomped back down.
Finish - Smoke, salt, pepper and cigarettes. From my notes: "this whisky hasn't showered in three days." Right?

Words: This was so very spirit-forward, that I'm not surprised they still got 252 bottles out of this 19yo hoggie. ❤ The oak went out for a smoke.
Grade: 89

Ledaig 21 year old 1992 Cadenhead small batch, bourbon hogsheads, 53.6%abv

Color - Lighter than the 19. Oh boy...
Nose - Huh. It's much neater. Less of the seaweed and fishiness. Instead there's a sambuca-like anise, hints of vanilla, cream puffs, apricot jam and maple syrup.
Palate - Less peat to this one than its younger sibling. But very very barley. Big on baked treats. A little bit of salty butter. And, "toffee without the sweetness. Figure it out."
Finish - A little bit of its sibling's smokey salty stuff. But also barley, citrus, sweeter herbs and spices.

Words: Less of a fighter than the 19yo. It's great in a different way. More balance, more fruits and sweets. Perhaps a Ledaig for more sensitive sippers?
Grade: 89

---

Good news all around. I regained faith in Longrow. Got some confidence in Cadenhead's Ledaigs. Ben Nevis and Arran also showed well. And I received a great little snack plate for my seating charge.

So, about that second night...

An intro to the great Malt Bar South Park

I missed out on a LOT of bars during my second trip to Japan. Basically all the ones that were recommended to me. (Sorry!) There were other reasons, very personal ones, behind the trip and those took priority over whisky on most days.

But there was this one bar...

I went there twice. It's not in a traffic heavy section of Tokyo. And unlike America's Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants arenas that can be spotted from a quarter-mile away, this Nakano bar was hidden. But not hipster-speakeasy-hidden. Instead it's modest. Nothing flashy in its entry way to steal your attention.

You have to look for the whisky bottles lined up not far from the sidewalk. Follow them to a steep concrete stairway — which is something to consider before one starts drinking, seriously — and then you'll see this:

When I saw this part of the sign...

...I thought, "Boy, I could get comfortable here."

And then I opened the door, looked within, and thought, "Boy, I could get comfortable here."

Malt Bar South Park was spotless. Like, not a mote of dust on a single bottle. There were about 10 or 12 seats, a pair of which were occupied in each corner. The tall, stately chief bartender Fujita Satoshi sported a vest and a crisp unwrinkled (like unearthly so) shirt.

It has taken me five years to craft the Pandora station that I use only for whisky tasting. Somehow, Malt Bar South Park has lifted it. I mean, every single song...

And then, you know, the whisky. Whiskybase says the bar has 1000+ bottles. That's probably a safe guess. I have no idea. It's a lot. It is, as someone else described, a library.

I was not expecting this. A strategy was needed.

Fujita-san helpfully handed me a small menu which awoke me to the fact that the entire bar counter was neatly lined two-deep with Cadenhead's bottles. There were, in fact, 139 of these current Cadenhead bottles to choose from. And the prices were, again, very reasonable.

While I was lost in Cadenheaven, Fujita-san placed a plate of excellent fruits, nuts and dark chocolate in front of me. Having recently completed an excellent Ben Nevis tasting at Highlander Inn Tokyo, I spied a way to begin...

Ken's Bar, Shinjuku

If you're staying in Shinjuku and you're looking for a casual corner of Golden Gai (or if you don't want to repeatedly shell out cover charges while bar hopping), Ken's Bar is a snug but easygoing spot to enjoy some new or dusty bourbon.

The Bar

Once upon a time (like, three years ago), Ken's Bar was The Place for Bourbon in that part of Tokyo. But Ken Matsuyama himself has opened a second bar and has now split his stash between the two locations. So be careful about your expectations. You won't find any Very Old Fitzgerald or Pappiez. But you will spot a couple dozen items that have long since vanished from American shelves, plus a few Japan-only Old St. Nick-type of bourbons.

I visited Ken's Bar on my first night in Japan. Jetlag had formed a calcified shell around my cerebrum, so the time of day was nothing more than someone's opinion. But I had a tummy full of noodles and beer, and nowhere to be; a true luxury for a parent.

Ken's sits about four people, but I was the only one there. A very early-90s-looking Pat Methany jazz concert was on the small TV in one corner. Lots of fun empties in another corner. A collection limited Maker's bottles in another.

The gentleman behind the bar didn't look like Ken (yes, I properly cyberstalk). He was very friendly, but it was instantly obvious that we spoke different languages; imagine that. I had yet to shed the smell of airplane, and already I had to put my infantile Japanese to the test. But despite our wide language barrier, the bartender and I spoke for nearly two hours. It was really nice.

He had the line of the night:

I said, "Watashi wa, Michael".

He pointed to a familiar bottle on the shelf and said, "Yamazaki 12 year old," then pointed to himself, "Yamazaki 41 year old."

Three months later and 6500 miles away, I came up with my comeback line, "Then you're worth millions!" I'm slow. And not nearly as funny as I think I am.

Bourbon 1

I was taking it easy on my first night in town because my senses were cloudy. So my first couple of drinky things would stay in familiar territory.

First up was Old Charter 10 year old. Weirdly enough, the next-to-last tasting I'd completed before this trip was Old Charter 8, which was not great. But people on the secondary market keep paying top dollar for the OCs, so I thought I'd try the 10. And the price was right.

If you can embiggen the photo, you'll see things get blurry around the bottom of the bottle. That's more or less an accurate depiction of my acuity at the time.

This was a Frankfort (thus Buffalo Trace) Old Charter, so it wasn't hella dusty. But it was a good drinker, significantly better than the 8, the difference between a C- whiskey and a B- whiskey. It's something you can drink whenever, wherever and however. Moderate oak nestled with moderate corn. Perhaps if the bourbon bust ever happens, Buffalo Trace can bring this back. Maybe?

Bourbon 2

Next up was Old Fitzgerald 1849. I know I just got finished writing about how I don't dig wheated bourbon, but I've always enjoyed Old Fitz 1849. I spent a long time searching this bottle for some clue if this was Stitzel-Weller or Heaven Hill stuff, but a big Japanese import sticker covered up some serious real estate on the back. No matter who made it, I liked it. Another B- bourbon. The sweetness was in check, as was the barrel. It's miles better than current Maker's, and could easily compete with the Old Weller line.

Bourbon 3

Yamazaki-san then set a private barrel in front of me. And I went with it, needing something barrel proof to close out the night. And I wanted a drink I couldn't get anywhere else.

This bourbon's source is officially unnamed but it may be from some Untamed Istanbul (not Constantinople). If that's true, then it's better than any OB whisky I've tried from them. Even better than their dusty stuff. It spent its first six years aging in Kentucky, then the next four years maturing in one of Chichibu's warehouses. It's a 2016 bottling so it may still be available at either of Ken's Bars. Oooh, and I have notes for this one!

The nose is much much fruitier than anything else by its rumored source. Then there's walnuts, almonds, fudge, butterscotch and pie crust. The palate has no bitter oak to it. But it does have lots of anise and green peppercorns. Strawberry Bubble Yum, toffee and a belt of rye. It finishes gently sweet, with some of the nose's fruity stuff, like berries and baked apples with cinnamon.

I'm not sure if I've given a contemporary bourbon an A- type rating on this blog, but this whiskey deserves it. It's fabulous. The fruit content is scrumptious, and surprising. Could this be due to the barrel's four years in Central Japan? A great selection by Matsuyama-san.

Final thoughts

Ken's Bar Shinjuku does have a cover charge, and I honestly don't remember if that includes snacks. But their whiskey prices were great. I think I drank all the above for $30-35 including the cover. I believe Ken is usually at the new bar (which is, I think, in Hacchobori, Chuo) but if he's at the Shinjuku bar, he's known to be an excellent bourbon resource. If Yamazaki-san is slinging drinks instead, please tell him I said hello. He's a great bartender with a lively sense of humor and is very sharp regarding whiskey options. He helped make Ken's Bar the perfect stop for my first night in Japan.

The Bars of Shinjuku Golden Gai and......nope

I've had so many grandiose projects that never came to fruition that I've actually lost count of all the current ones. These ideas often remain incomplete due to my cowardice or lack of willpower at the end of the day. Other times it's due to having spent half of my adult life in pursuit of a screenwriting career and the miserable experience that turned out to be. But every once in a while, a brilliant plan gets nipped because of reality.

The place

Golden Gai was unknown to me until after I had returned from my first trip to Japan, in 2015. Then I immediately became obsessed with the place. To paraphrase Liz Lemon, I wanted to go to there. Over 200 bars squeezed into a handful of tiny alleys? Count my ass in. I was ready to change all of my anonymous online avatars to Golden Guy. I'd even thought out how I'd train for the mission.

The plan

As I scheduled this year's Japanese excursion, I made sure to set aside two nights to devote to Golden Gai. I bought an extra SD card for my fancy camera, and a stabilization device for my cellphone camera. The plan was to shoot a massive amount of footage and interviews (sober or not) so I could assemble the great YouTube document of Golden Gai.

Through airBnb, I'd reserved a nice apartment in Kabukichō, about two blocks from the edge of Golden Gai, for five nights. It was HQ for the Tokyo portion of my voyage.

An excellent sign

The reality

It wasn't until a few days before the flight to Japan that I started reading some online grumbling about the Golden Gai bars' widespread usage of seating/cover charges. As in ¥1000 (or $9) per bar. Upon my arrival in Shinjuku, this practice was confirmed.

Japanese bars are my favorite drinking establishments in the world. I've written quite a few posts about my dreamy adventures, and believe it or not, I've yet to drop the best one. But I cannot reconcile this cover charge practice with the rest of the experience. Some bars will provide snacks in return for the fee. Many don't.

If you like going wine tasting, you've encountered something similar: the tasting fee. A winery will hit you with a charge to taste 4 to 8 of their wines, which is understandable on the surface. But from there, wineries split into two camps: those that wave the tasting fee once the customer buys bottles, and those that don't. The latter are a major pisser. If I'm putting six bottles on the counter, and they're weighing in at $150, the fact that your business can't waive the $10 tasting fee is not only petty but it demotivates me from ever buying from you again. If I just do the tasting and walk away, then yeah the $10 charge makes sense.

When I go into a Japanese whisky bar, there's a 50% chance I'm about spend money like I'm 10 times wealthier than I actually am. If I'm polite and friendly, while being one of the biggest spenders of the night, why would you still charge me the seating fee?

There may be a cultural difference involved here. Tipping is frowned upon in Japan, but seating charges are frequent. Thus, when the bill came each time , I just pretended the fee was a crummy tip.

GOJIRA!
But nobody even notices her
because there's so much stuff going on.

The result

I did not go to the 200+ bars. There was no way I was going to drop $100, let alone $1000, to capture what was likely going to be poorly-lit poorly-focused visuals with bad sound. I mean, that's whisky money, man.

For my arrival day, I'd structured things so that I'd get to Shinjuku Station during daylight. If one is balancing several layers of jetlag, exiting that train depot at night may reduce your cognition to lemon Jello. Shinjuku is a sensory assault and there are chains and walls of fast moving city bodies blasting past you by the thousands per second. Last time, I was unprepared. This time, I knew better.

Despite finding my apartment with relative ease, I was plenty woozy. I was thankful I'd changed that night's plans from "Golden Gai, Night 1" to "wandering". Of course, my first move was to snoop around a half dozen liquor stores. Next I got some righteous noodles and a beer to clear my head.

Then, I settled in at one casual cozy bourbon bar, saving my real trouble-making for a few days hence.

To be continued...