Bar Review #24: House Welley Bar (Hong Kong)

For our 24th bar review, we visited HK's latest whisky haunt, House Welley Bar in the heart of Central. HK whisky lovers who visit will likely recognise the familiar faces of Vincent, Eric and Jason, known for their friendly hospitality and impressive whisky collections, which now form the basis of the bar.

The space is open, large, and features an edgy design with a noticeable departure from the "average" whisky bar (whatever that is these days). It works - it's a striking venue that places whisky at the fore, but at the same time feels comfortable and inviting.

Of course, you don't come to a whisky bar for the space or decor, you come for the whisky, and House Welley Bar doesn't disappoint there. The back bar is split by region and style (there are sections for "Speyside", "Islay", "Blended", "Japan" etc...) and reflects the tastes of the owners, who are all too happy to make a recommendation.

You'll find OBs, sure, but not the average ones you'll find at the supermarket. Here you're more likely to find single cask, limited edition, distillery exclusive OBs, alongside a number of interesting IBs, from bottlers both established and obscure. It's not just modern releases filling up the back bar either - vintage Clynelish, Bowmore, Macallan and others can all be found too.

During my visit I tried a stunningly fruity Cooley from SMWS (117.1 no less, in the old "paper label" bottle style), a secretive 29yo Scottish malt, a 30yo Islay Blended Malt (which tasted suspiciously like Bowmore) and the now-famous 25yo 1975 Macallan from Casa de Vinos (it's excellent, but give it a lot of time in the glass). Prices were reasonable, everything is available by the half-dram, and there were several more bottles I spied on the back bar for which I'll definitely be coming back!

Whether you're a whisky geek, or just starting out on your whisky journey, or anywhere in between, House Welley Bar will have something to suit your tastes, from an obscure IB, rare Japanese single cask, to a sought-after OB.

Note: At the time of writing (21st Jan 2020), House Welley Bar is open by private appointment only, but we hope that changes shortly.

Cheers,

Martin.

Bar Review #15: The Society (Tokyo, Japan)

The last Tokyo bar visited as part of our JapanTour14 (before we moved onto whisky bars in Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Niseko and Sapporo - all to be reviewed soon) was The Society, part of the Park Hotel, not far from Tokyo's Ginza district. 

Conveniently located a short walk from the excellent Campbelltoun Loch, The Society is, as the name suggests, an official Scotch Malt Whisky Society bar (the first in Japan). As you might expect, there's a large (100+) selection of the famous green SMWS bottles, and if you don't feel like an SMWS expression...too bad! That's the only whisky on offer.

(When would you ever not feel like an SMWS dram, though?)

The dimly-lit and elegant venue has an illuminated marble U-shaped bar as its centrepiece, commanding views over Tokyo, and a wine rack absolutely full of SMWS bottles. It does feel ever so slightly like a "hotel bar" (albeit a very nice one), but you quickly forget that once you gaze at the menu, and realise what's on offer.

The standard menu contains a smattering of interesting SMWS drams, but it's the secret or member's menu you really want (to see that, show your SMWS membership card, or strike up a conversation with the bartender and hope for the best). Here you'll see Karuizawas and a number of other Japanese SMWS expressions - none of which feature on the regular menu.

Drams are served in official Society glasses (naturally) and while the bar didn't offer half-drams like most Japanese whisky bars, the prices were still very reasonable considering the rarity and quality of the drams on offer (for example - 6 Karuizawas, 132.1 to 132.6, ranging from ¥2100 to ¥5500, or $22AUD/$125HKD to $57AUD/$350HKD). Some drams were available for as little as ¥1400 ($14AUD/$90HKD) at members' prices, which was up to 40% cheaper than the non-member pricing.

The website states no cover charge, but I'm sure we paid a ¥1000 cover charge each (which is pretty standard for a number of smaller Japanese bars), so perhaps they've changed the policy. I'm back there in just over a week, so will confirm then.

There's not really much else to say about the bar - if you like whisky, would like to try some of the rarest, single cask, cask strength Scottish and Japanese malts around, in pleasant surroundings with great views over Tokyo, it's hard to look past this place.

The Society is located on the 25th floor of the Park Hotel Tokyo:

Shiodome Media Tower 1-7-1 Higashi Shimbashi, Minato-ku 1057227 Tokyo

Closest stations: Shiodome Station, Shimbashi Station

Tue-Sat : 22:00-25:30                                               

Sun-Mon: 22:00-23:00 

Cheers,

Martin.

Bar Review #14: Campbelltoun Loch (Tokyo, Japan)

A few weeks ago we posted up the first bar review from our recent Japan trip, namely Zoetrope in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and talked about their incredible and well-priced range of Japanese whisky.

Well, what Zoetrope is to Japanese whisky, Campbelltoun Loch is to Scottish whisky.

Also located in Tokyo, Campbelltoun Loch re-defined my image of a "small bar". We all know Sydney has some great "small" bars, but they're palaces, mansions even, compared to Campbelltoun Loch. I'd almost bet there are a lot of Sydney bars with stockrooms larger Campbelltoun Loch. 

See for yourself (my back was against the front door taking this picture):

But size is hardly an indicator of a quality bar, and Campbelltoun Loch have done their best to fill every single inch of the bar with quality whisky - the overwhelming majority of it Scottish, with a good mixture of both Original and Independent bottlings.

While there may only be room for 8 patrons, the staff (that'd be Nakamura Nobuyuki, the sole guy behind the bar in the photo above), clearly passionate about Scotch whisky, makes sure everyone feels welcome, regardless of which of their 300+ open bottles they choose to dram from.

The atmosphere was jovial but refined, with subtle jazz tunes filling the room and a mostly older (but very friendly) crowd. A brief look at the shelf confirms that whilst Nakamura may have been running Campbelltoun Loch for "only" 16 years, his collection of whisky goes well beyond that...

As with a lot of the Japanese whisky bars we visited, there's no menu and with such a variety (and my not terribly good eyesight), it was hard to see everything that was on offer. Prices were reasonable, with a dram of Balvenie 15yo Single Barrel (the new Sherry one) selling for about $90HKD/$15AUD, and as with almost all the bars we visited, half-drams were available (have I made it clear yet that Japan really is whisky lovers heaven? Because It is...)

There's a reasonable amount of world whiskies, including a single Sullivans Cove (from Australia) and Teeling 21 (from Ireland), but Scotch is clearly the focus.

Campbelltoun Loch can be a little tricky to find (though the address details and photo below should help), but it's absolutely worth the trouble. Whisky fans could do worse than a few drams at the Park Hotel's SMWS Society bar (review up soon), followed by a few nightcaps here. Or vice versa.

Campbelltoun Loch, Tokyo
Address: 1-6-8 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku
Nearest station: Yurakucho or Hibiya (exit A4)

Cheers.

Martin.

Bar Review #13: Zoetrope (Tokyo, Japan)

Moving onto the first (of many) bar reviews from our recent Japan Trip - kicking off with Zoetrope in Shinjuku, Tokyo....

There are many brilliant whisky bars in Japan, but Zoetrope (a Tokyo institution for 9 years) was firmly at the top of my list when planning our Japan trip (actually, it's been there for a few years, since I first read about it on Nonjatta).

Zoetrope (technically "Shot Bar Zoetrope*"), like many Tokyo bars is hidden in a nondescript city building, up a few floors, accessed by a slow and dinky lift. Now while the term "shot bar" might recall images of a dingy tourist bar in Hong Kong's LKF, or a seedy Kings Cross bar (before the lockout laws turned into a sleepy wasteland post-2am), nothing could be farther from the truth. All over Japan, it seems, "shot bar" just refers to a bar with a collection of spirits (in many cases, especially here, bloody fine ones).

We arrived at opening time, first patrons, and promptly took a seat in front of the bar, right in front of this, which set the tone for the night nicely....

Yes - Ichiro's Malt "Cards" bottles, that aren't empty, and don't cost an arm and a leg for a dram!

A very quick history lesson for those unfamiliar with these bottles. Ichiro Akuto's grandfather Isouji Akuto founded the Hanyu Distillery, north-west of Tokyo, which ceased production in 2000. Ichiro inherited the remaining stock, and like the enterprising chap he was, bottled a lot of it as a series of "Cards" - some vattings, some single casks. Despite selling for pretty reasonable sums at the time of release (many were under $85AUD / $550HKD), they quickly gained a cult following and rapidly shot up in price. One of the final bottlings (the elusive "Colour Joker") now sells for around $2,000AUD / $12,300HKD anywhere you're lucky enough to find it. I actually did spot a bottle on a shelf in Osaka, but sadly the shop clearly knew its value...

Suffice to say that any remaining bottles are incredibly rare, sought-after, and usually cost a pretty penny. We've been in bars with Ichiro's Malt bottles available, but usually one or two, and usually for far more than I'm willing to pay for a dram of whisky (and I'm willing to pay a lot for certain whiskies...).

So seeing 8+ available, generally for under ¥3000 ($30AUD / $185HKD) for a dram, with many closer to ¥2000, was a very welcome sight! The fact that the bar also did half-drams for anything over ¥1600 was an added bonus (they did previously have a Colour Joker available for ¥2800/dram, but unsurprisingly had sold out).

Zoetrope isn't a large bar, with only 6 seats at the bar and 3 tables, but it's not the smallest whisky bar we visited (more on that in a future post), and they make the most of every available inch by cramming it full of whisky. A ¥600 cover charge applies to all guests (as we found was the case with most Japanese bars), but this is more than made up for considering the prices:

Japanese whisky is definitely the focus, and if you're not into interesting or weird/wonderful Japanese whiskies, you can nurse a Nikka from the Barrel for a measly ¥600, or try one of their well thought-out tasting sets. For the enthusiast though, we recommend browsing the list, picking out 1 or 2 (or 5) that you thought you'd never get to try, and ordering half-drams. You can't go wrong...

..well, maybe with the section of the menu labelled "we don't recommend the products below", which included gems such as "Royal Crystal" (¥400), Single Malt Isawa 1983 (¥800) and "Mushu Cask Strength" (¥1800). We didn't venture into this territory, but I have tried a 1984 Isawa previously and it was drinkable (just not hugely enjoyable).

Owner Atsushi Horigami speaks English (though in general we found that if you learn just a few Japanese words, it makes your trip that much more enjoyable) and is also a massive film buff, so don't be surprised to see some vintage movies, or even animation being belted out on the project at the back of the room:

You know a bar is popular and well-loved (usually) when they have their own bottling (such a bottling also being one of my #101drams whiskies). Zoetrope doesn't have one. They have three. A Chichibu single cask, a Hanyu single cask, and an Akashu two-cask vatting. The first two for ¥1500, the latter for ¥1000 (and they were all very enjoyable).

Zoetrope is a Japanese whisky institution, and with good reason. The selection is fantastic, the bar itself inviting, and the prices excellent. With the popularity of Japanese whisky soaring though, we recommend going sooner rather than later. Atsushi relayed to us the story of a recent limited bottling he tried to get his hands on from the department store Isetan. Despite being there at opening time (on the morning the whisky went on sale), he simply wasn't quick enough to run down to the liquor department, and by the time he got there, it was all gone... (no doubt to appear on an auction site at 5 times the value later that night).

That's the Japanese whisky scene for you...

Tasting notes up shortly (edit: here).

Cheers,

Martin.

Bar Review #12: Nocturne (Hong Kong)

When we first arrived in Hong Kong, we made the most of our first 10 or so days before starting work. We arranged bank accounts. We found an apartment. We sorted out credit cards....and we visited whisky bars! We already wrote up our review of Angels' Share back in August, and now it's Nocturne's turn.

We actually first visited Nocturne on our very first night in Hong Kong. Having dinner with some friends across the road at Chicha, we got onto the topic of whisky and the blog, and our friends mentioned a nearby whisky bar. Needless to say, it was our first stop after dinner.

(By the way no, we don't carry the camera around everywhere. We came back a week or so later for this review!)

Described as a "wine and whisky bar", Nocturne has a heavy focus on Japanese whisky (and as you might have guessed wine), with all the usual suspects, a few well-known but rarely seen Japanese whiskies, and some truly unique releases. Despite the Japanese focus, the bar still stocks an impressive range of Scottish whiskies (not to mention American and Taiwanese).

Speaking of the menu, Nocturne manages their ever-changing menu by way of 7" Galaxy tablets, just like a number of Japanese restaurants. It's an interesting concept for a bar, rarely seen, and works well (especially in negating the disappointment of ordering something only to find it not in stock).

Nocturne somehow manages to balance an industrial vibe with a warm and inviting atmosphere. Think lots of concrete, but with warm wood accents and dim lighting. It works very well, and clearly a lot of thought has been put into the design, which manages to make the most of a relatively small space.

While the backbar clearly shows their love of whisky, it's upstairs which proves their wine credentials - a well-stocked cellar taking up almost the entire floor plan. Worth a look, even just for a sniff (the room has that incredible winery / cellar door smell).

Considering the price some bars charge for good whisky in Hong Kong, and the previously-mentioned 100% spirits tax, the prices at Nocturne are fairly reasonable. A Yoichi 12yo or Talisker DE will set you back $150HKD (about $22AUD), while a Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel (one of Martin's all-time favourite whiskies) is $190HKD (around $28AUD). A Glenfarclas 30 runs $260HKD (~$38AUD), as does the Bruichladdich Black Art 1990 23yo. It's worth noting that pours are all 40mL too.

They also have some well-priced tasting sets, such as $360HKD ($53AUD) for 3 x 20mL pours of Hakushu 18, Hibiki 21 and Yamazaki 18, which would be a great first step for anyone looking to dip their toes into the world of Japanese whiskies.

Nocturne isn't the kind of place you go for a loud, long, boisterous night (Hong Kong has plenty of bars for that). It is however the kind of place you go with a few friends, to sit, chat, and enjoy some fine and unique whiskies, in a quiet, warm and inviting atmosphere. As the weather starts to cool down here in Hong Kong, I have no doubt Nocturne will continue to heat up.

Nocturne: 35 Peel St, Soho, Hong Kong. Mon-Sat 6pm - 1am. (+852) 2884 9566. Website.

Cheers,

Steph & Martin.

Bar review #7: The Whisky Bar, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

Our 7th bar review saw me in Malaysia, at the appropriately named "The Whisky Bar, KL". As much as I'd love to say I was in Malaysia to taste whisky...I was there on business (which is completely unrelated to whisky), and only managed to get out and visit one night by cramming about 15 hours of work into the previous night...oh well, the sacrifices we make!

I first stumbled across the bar a few years ago (it's bang in the middle of one of the liveliest parts of the city - Changkat Bukit Bintang) and remembered them having a great list, impressive display (of unopened bottles) and decent prices.

My visit this time coincided with an Auchentoshan tasting (which I'll write up in a separate post), but this post is mostly about the bar itself.

The bar feels similar to the Highlander chain of Whisky bars in Asia (especially the logo), but is apparently unrelated. It's a largeish bar, with seating broken up into a few areas (some large booths and some cosy nooks for couples), along with an adjoining restaurant with an impressive wine cellar. The decor is comfortable and classy, with appropriate lighting and noise levels to suit. The bar also has an impressive collection of whisky/whiskey posters dotted around the room, including some which would have to be a few decades old.

There's no region or whisky style that the bar specialises in, with an impressive range of Japanese, Scotch, Irish and other world whiskies. What I find particularly impressive is the number of unopened bottles around the place (presumably just for show) - including some very rare vintage Glenfiddichs, Balvenies (see right) and Nikkas.

Staff were all welcoming and more than happy to talk about whisky, and the way whisky is enjoyed in Malaysia (in a nutshell, typically with less focus on tasting and more focus on drinking!) As is common in Asia, bottle sales (for consumption on-premise) are available, with monthly specials coinciding with monthly tastings (typically for a particular distillery).

Prices aren't too bad for KL, with a Caol Ila 12yo going for around $11-12AUD/nip, and a Laphroaig 18yo around $23AUD. Or you could just go all out with a Bowmore White 1964 for a cool RM24,300 (around $8,500AUD)!

Of the three times I've visited now, I've enjoyed every visit, and (on a previous trip) Steph found the tasting flights especially handy for someone who (at the time) was just getting into whisky. There was also another work trip where a bunch of us got into a bottle of Hibiki 17yo on a Friday night...a few hours later I found myself scoffing down a few pieces of Durian, which I've sworn to never do again...

If you're ever in KL and looking for a dram or two, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place than here. Just keep your wits about you when you walk outside - Changkat Bukit Bintang is a lot of fun, but is also one of the most busy/crazy streets in KL.

Cheers,
 - Martin.