Tasted #592: Yamazaki "Age Unknown" 30 Year Old (TimeforWhisky 10 Year Anniversary Dram)

Our second 10th Anniversary dram whisky comes from Japan…in the form of a 30 Year Old Yamazaki.

Hold up....Yamazaki? 30 Years Old? 

How often has someone told you they tried a 21 or 30yo Yamazaki, and you just know they meant Hibiki? I mean, apart from single casks, Yamazakis are usually always NAS, 10, 12, 18 or 25yo, right?

Generally, yes, but in 1989 a very limited Yamazaki "Age Unknown” was released, containing Yamazaki from the 1960s and bottled at 25 years old. 5 years later in 1994, a further 300 bottles were released with an extra 5 years maturation, making this 30 year old Yamazaki!

(You can tell these older 1994 bottles apart as they have the signature of “Keizo Saji” on the label - Suntory’s chairman).

WhiskyFun gave this a WF96 recently, a score very few whiskies achieve. With these kind of figures (300 bottles, released 28 years ago, WF96, WB94.67 etc..) I'd fully expected this to fall into the "whiskies Martin will never try" category...but then on a recent trip to Melbourne, the incredibly generous Deni Kay (@deni_kay) invited me around for an evening with he and his Old Master Spirits partner David (@whisky.nerd), where David kindly shared this. I wasn't about to say no! Absolute legends, both of these blokes. 

Yamazaki "Age Unknown" Keizo Saji Release (43% ABV, 30yo, 1 of 300 bottles, Japan, Price: lots and lots and lots, if you could even find a bottle)
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Colour: Deep rich gold.

Nose: Instantly, I get Golden Rough chocolate (Aussie readers will know it) - milk chocolate with roasted coconut. Straight back to my childhood. That's followed up by creamy vanilla, sultanas, coffee grounds, aged honey, a humidor full of lovingly-aged cigars and a slight nuttiness (walnuts). It's like someone took all the best notes from a beautifully-aged, clean sherried dram, and all the best notes from a beatifully-aged Mizunara dram, and mashed them together. Simply stunning.

Palate: Mercifully, the nose is backed up by an equally complex and stunning palate. There's some spice initially, but it doesn't overpower (like it does in the 2014 Yamazaki Mizunara), and sits alongside more coconut, milk chocolate, sandalwood, nougat and honey in perfect harmony. Back in 2017 I wrote that the 2017 Yamazaki Mizunara 18 Year Old had one of the most incredible noses I'd experienced, but the palate didn't match it. In this Age Unknown, it does.

Finish: Long, very long (especially considering the 43% ABV), with coconut, sandalwood, mild woodspice, caramel and honey.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 95/100. Simply incredible. One of the greatest whiskies I've ever had. Anyone have a spare $40k AUD?

See you tomorrow for dram number 3!

Cheers,

Martin.

What is "Japanese Whisky" these days?

If you go back 10 or so years, the term "Japanese whisky" generally meant (to most whisky drinkers) Yamazaki or Hibiki. Maybe for some well-versed drinkers, Miyagikyo, Mars Komagatake or Yoichi. Hardcore enthusiasts were probably aware of whiskies like Hanyu and Karuizawa, but they certainly weren't known outside of a core group of enthusiasts.

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Back then, these whiskies were all relatively accessible and comparatively well-priced (yes even the Karuizawas). More or less every Dan Murphy's stocked Yamazaki 12 (at well under $100AUD/bottle), and almost every decent Japanese bottle shop (and even Japan's airports) stocked age-statement Suntory and Nikka whiskies at incredibly fair prices. You could walk into most (good) Japanese whisky bars and try a selection of Ichiro's Malt Cards Series for less than you'd pay for a dram of Lagavulin 16 today.

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Then in 2015 a man in a hat said the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 was the best whisky in the world, and everyone lost their mind. Now sure, this was far from the first award ever given to a Japanese whisky (Hibiki 21 for example had won "World's Best Blended Whisky", at the arguably much-more-relevant World Whiskies Awards, several times before 2015), but it did seem to be the catalyst for a barrage of hype, price hikes and scarce availability that continues today.

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Some might say the hatted man simply shone a brighter light on what was already an incredibly high quality spirit (and they'd be right), but however you look at it, the hype started building, and casualties followed. In the coming years, Nikka discontinued their beloved age statement single malts (and later, many of their much-loved blends), Suntory temporarily halted favourites like Hibiki 17 and Hakushu 12, and the prices of pretty much all remaining Suntory and Nikka age statement (and NAS for that matter) whiskies skyrocketed. 

...and that's not even mentioning whisky from closed Japanese distilleries (to see how things are going there, just check out these auction prices of a "full deck" of Ichiro's Malt Cards Series from 2015, 2019 and 2020 respectively).

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After a few years came the the wave of what many have termed "fake Japanese Whiskies" - those which took advantage of loose legislation in Japan which meant that producers could (and still can, for now) bottle whisky made from 100% imported spirit such as Scotch or Canadian whisky, and sell it as "Japanese Whisky" domestically and around the world. 

Again, the use of non-Japanese distilled spirit isn't a new thing. Nikka for example had been thought to be using Ben Nevis (which they own) in their hugely popular "Nikka from the Barrel", for years, but the rise in Japanese whisky popularity in the past 5 years has seen a big increase in other overpriced, opaque/ambiguous bottlings calling themselves "Japanese", often with samurai or other imagery, with absolutely no guarantee as to where the spirit originated. 

(For the record, I have no problem with the practice of imported spirit being bottled and sold by Japanese companies, and companies like Nikka who are willingly being transparent about the issue should be applauded. My issue is with those being deliberately deceptive, trying to "fool" their customers into thinking the whisky was distilled in Japan when it wasn't.)

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More recently though, we've seen a ray of hope emerge - "proper" Japanese whisky from new or newly-expanded distilleries/brands, producing unique, Japanese-distilled spirit, and in the last few years (and especially the last 12 months), we've seen the first whisky releases from many of these start to emerge.

With thanks to our friends at AFTrade Hong Kong, we're going to feature a few of these whiskies over the coming week, with detailed tasting notes and some background into each distillery. Specifically, we'll be trying:

• Kanosuke Single Malt 2021 First Edition (link to tasting post)
• Sakurao Single Malt 1st Release (link to tasting post)
• Mars Tsuniki Peated (link to tasting post)
• Akkeshi Single Malt: "Boshu", "Kanro" and "Usui" (link to tasting post); and
• Mars Komagatake x Chichibu "Malt Duo" (not as new as some of the others, but a fascinating blended malt considering the practice of sharing barrels and blending malts is far from common in Japan) (link to tasting post)

(Links to the articles will be added as they're posted)

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We hope these posts give you some insight into these new, exciting Japanese distilleries and a little taste of things to come from Japanese whisky in the future. If you have any thoughts of your own on these whiskies (or the Japanese whisky scene in general) please leave them in the comments below!

Kanpai,

Martin.

Launch of Yamazaki 18 Mizunara 2017 Edition (Tasted #380)

Last week we joined Suntory Whisky Global Ambassador Mike Miyamoto to launch the new Yamazaki Mizunara 2017 Edition in Sydney - the first commercial 18 year old Mizunara expression released by the distillery. It was certainly a truly remarkable and unique experience as the Simmer on the Bay precinct at Walsh Bay was decadently converted into the "House of Suntory".

The release of the Yamazaki 18yo Mizunara 2017 is particularly exciting given the upswing in Japanese whisky popularity over the past few years, the use of the rare Japanese Mizunara oak, and the fact that the launch was hosted by Mike Miyamoto, a veteran in the whisky industry (see here for our first event with Miyamoto-san back in 2014). With over 40 years working in the whisky industry including some time managing production at Bowmore and also at one point, managing Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries, Mike is a well-respected figure in the industry.

Mike welcomed us into the House of Suntory before describing the Suntory journey over the past three-generations and the true devotion of their Master Blenders in pursuing a truly unique and exquisite Japanese whisky. Part of such devotion included the craftsmanship in working with Mizunara, a delicate and rare Japanese oak - and the highlight of this new release.

The use of the Mizunara is what makes this new release special. Whilst there have been Yamazaki Mizunara expressions released before, they were NAS, whereas this carries an 18yo age statement. That's no small feat, as Mizunara, as a wood, takes almost double the time to grow as compared to the more widely used American oak or European oak (Mizunara only reaches a sizeable diameter in width after a whole century), and is notoriously difficult to work with, due to its porous nature.

Due to the demanding nature of Mizunara, it had taken Suntory's coopers many years to perfect the cask-making techniques. The wood is only found in a few regions in Japan and is branchy, inter-twined and permeable in nature - all characteristics that make the wood hard to shape and join with precision. As a result, Mizunara casks can often leak and it is only through perseverance and years of trial and error that Suntory coopers have mastered the art of Mizunara cask making.

As a result, comparatively, the difficulty that comes with Mizunara cask making puts the cask at a premium over other cask types including quality sherry casks that already command a relatively high premium.

On the night, a Mizunara tree was showcased through a digital projection, and described by Mike with a short animation to illustrate the tree's journey over the four seasons.

Suntory’s Chief Blender, Shinji Fukuyo stated “I wanted to reveal the whisky’s soul; that is, the art of Mizunara – a heightened sense and awakened palate engaged through aromas and flavours never known before. Encountering it should be a moment of epiphany”.

To showcase how Mizunara affects the overall taste profile, Mike led a tasting of three distinct Mizunara cask samples; a 5-year-old Mizunara (distilled in 2013), a 15-year-old Mizunara and an old Mizunara that had been distilled in 1969. The youngest Mizunara was pulled into the mix to showcase that Mizunara provides little to no influence in the first few years. Contrasting that with the oldest Mizunara, one that was distilled in 1969 which was described by Mike as rather oaky and with notes of nail polish, varnish and bitterness. Finally, of the three, the 15 year old was the one that had the best balance, with creamy, elegant, fruity and incense notes.

The three samples were chosen to illustrate the fact that Mizunara not only is a difficult wood to work with, but is also quite delicate and the cask can take years to successfully influence the whisky, to achieve a result that is not too soft nor overly oaked.

The new Yamazaki 18 Mizunara 2017 edition has been released to celebrate such craftsmanship as well as the essence of the noble Mizunara. At 48% ABV, the new release is a blend of single malts that have been aged entirely in Mizunara casks for at least 18 years (and in some cases, apparently, up to 50 years) The result of the Mizunara maturation gives the resulting whisky uniquely Japanese characters; distinct spices, incense like aromas and sandalwood notes.

Presented in a wooden box crafted from recycled Suntory casks, the new Yamazaki Mizunara 2017 will be available to purchase from select retailers for $1,400AUD. The allocation for Australia is less than 200 bottles (of the 5000 bottles available globally), including many for on-premise, and sadly has been fully allocated.

Thanks to Liquid Ideas and Beam Suntory for having us at the launch. 

Unfortunately, due to battling a cold and a reduced sense of smell / taste on the night, my tasting notes didn't quite do the whisky justice. Luckily Martin also recently tried it, and has included his thoughts below...

Yamazaki Mizunara 18yo 2017 Edition (48% ABV, 18yo, Japan, ~$1,400AUD but good luck finding one for that price now, sadly)
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Colour: Burnished copper-gold.

Nose: Sandalwood at first then hints of (sweet, dessicated) coconut - the mark of a good Mizunara-aged whisky in my opinion. Then some cherry-chocolate - Cherry Bounty Bars! As the minutes go on, the coconut increases, and after 10 or so monutes, there's some noticeable spice - cinnamon and paprika.

Palate: Creamy at first, quickly followed by an oaky fruitiness - slightly tropical, with lots of coconut, perfume, but still lots of oak spice, which at times can almost overpower the other notes. There's some mango and peach, and after letting the glass sit (covered) for 30minutes, there's noticeable sweet coconut milk chocolate, and a seemingly more mellow overall mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium to long in length, with sandalwood spice, pencil shavings and a little tannin.

Rating (on Martin's very non-scientific scale): 92/100. Look, I love a good Mizunara-aged whisky, and this definitely falls into that category. The nose is outstanding. Beautiful, complex, changing...one of the best noses I've found on a whisky in a while. The palate, whilst certainly not a let-down, just doesn't live up to the nose unfortunately, with a little too much spice and oak. Overall though, a very very good whisky, but not the best Yamazaki we've tried (that honour would go here), nor the best Mizunara-matured Yamazaki. Interestingly, the "amazing nose, palate not as great" assessment is similar to what I said about last year's massively popular Yamazaki release - the 2016 Sherry Cask.

Cheers,

Hendy & Martin.

Dramnation: World Whisky Tour

As you may know, we're a big supporter of local whisk(e)y figures that continue to inspire and educate people on the industry and its whiskies. Earlier this month, our friend Matt Wooler, founder of Dramnation hosted their first inner city tasting at Pocket Bar in downtown Sydney. Continuing from the first World Whisky Tour tasting series in May which was held at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill , the second series of the tour expanded the tasting collection to also include whiskies from Brittany, France and Arkansas, USA.

As we'd written last year, Dramnation was founded with the aim of imparting knowledge and introducing whisky appreciation for individuals, and it's great to see them continuing that mission.



We were invited by Matt to join the tour and to celebrate their inaugural inner city tasting. As with all Dramnation tasting events, guests were welcomed with a cocktail. This event saw the classic Whiskey Smash cocktail back in action (based on the Old Forrester Bourbon), which proved to be quite a refreshing opener to the night. The second series of the tour revisited a number of highlights from the first tasting, and there were whiskies from different regions of the world too, including:

• The Hakushu Distiller's Reserve (Japan)
• Armorik Classic Single Malt (France)
• Kavalan Port Cask Finish (Taiwan)
• Starward Solera (Australia)
• SMWS B3.2 Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Bun (US)
• Paul John Edited Single Malt (India)

The line-up included one very special bottle from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) - B3.2 or so cheekily titled 'Ooey-gooey cinnamon bun' - a bourbon whiskey from the Rocktown Distillery in Arkansas, USA. The 2 in the B3.2 denoting that this was a second Society release from the Rocktown Distillery. The inclusion of a Society bottle added to the eccentricity of the line-up and helped ensure guests were treated to an extensive range of profiles of the different world regions.



What has always stood out for me at each Dramnation event is the immaculate setup and the superb attention to detail on the setup. As much as you can touch and feel (and taste) the whiskies -- you can equally explore different sensory experiences that are scattered across the tasting tables. Bottles filled with barley, rye and corn -- showcasing the mix for bourbon whiskies, cinnamon sticks, licorice and chocolate are just few of the items that are presented for guests to appreciate. Mozzarella and cheddar cheeses were also made available on each table with the notion being that the different cheeses can invoke or cleanse one's palate. The mozzarella cheese was what Matt described as a palate cleanser, a type of cheese that help to neutralise your palate. The cheddar cheese complements the tasting, by being a palate exciter, a good cheese to have before each dram.



The night itself was co-presented between Matt, Matt Bailey of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Jeremy Daunay, founder of Le Baron des Spirits who was there to represent Armorik (a distillery we'll soon be featuring in detail in an upcoming post).

Jeremy opened the night with the Armorik Classic Single Malt; a clean and light malt from Brittany, France. Armorik, being a recent addition to the local market certainly pleased the crowd and will be one whisky to watch over the next year. It wasn't that long ago that Jeremy presented the Armorik series at The Wild Rover and I recalled truly enjoying the different expressions.



Each host spoke to the different whiskies, outlining the differing factors that make up the individuality of each, and how the extent of maturation in the different regions varies. Perhaps the adage that age is just a number rings true in certain circumstances. This was certainly true for Kavalan, Starward and the Society B3.2 (Rocktown Bourbon) where they have all been matured for 3 years or less and yet their punchy profile certainly did not disappoint.

Full tasting notes on all the whiskies presented on the night were provided to all the guests and have also been published on the Dramnation site here.

The inaugural Dramnation tasting at Pocket Bar was a success and it was fun, insightful and introduced people to the whiskies from the different regions. The night even saw a beer into the mix with the Gage Road ESB being introduced to complement a couple of the whiskies.

Keen to check out the next Dramnation event? Dramnation have published the dates for their next events through to October. Taking a similar themed approach to whisky appreciation, the upcoming events will focus on different aspects of whisky distilling and whisky appreciation. For more details or to book on the following events, visit the Dramnation site. Specific upcoming dates are:

• 30/07 - Wine Cask Whiskies Session 1, 2016 at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill
• 20/08 - Smoke Stacks Session 1, 2016 at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill
• 22/10 - Southern BBQ Boilermarkers at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill

TimeforWhisky.com attended the Dramnation World Whisky Tour Tasting Class as a guest of Dramnation, with thanks to Matt Wooler.

Cheers

Hendy

Yamazaki "Limited Edition" 2016

There's already been one limited, highly sought-after 2016 Yamazaki this year (and we tasted it here), and now there's set to be another - the Yamazaki "Limited Edition" 2016 release.

Following in the footsteps of the 2014 and the 2015 Limited Editions (the former which is still not-terribly-difficult to find in Japan), this year's release is also an NAS, but sounds like it contains whisky from ex Sherry and Port cask(s), with some of the malt aged for over 20 years.

There are some more details here (if you can't read Japanese, you might need to make do with Google / Chrome auto-translation..). Unfortunately there's no information on how it will be made available yet (quite possibly via lottery like last year), but at 10,000yen, at least they're keeping it relatively accessible.

Let the hype commence!

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #276: Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016

***HYPE HYPE HYPE***

We've certainly heard a lot of it since the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 Edition was announced (see our initial post from January here). One bloke says he likes the 2013 version, and the world goes nuts over the follow-up release. 

Limited to 5,000 bottles (1,500 for Japan, 3,500 for the rest of the world), we've seen retailers charging huge markups and bottles being auctioned for 5, even 10 times the recommended retail price (which was £200, $300USD and $450AUD...if you were lucky enough to find one at retail).

So, with all this hype, we wanted to try it and make a call for ourselves. If the 2013 was so great, and this is basically the same juice with an additional 3 years of maturation (which we learned from Mike Miyamoto recently), perhaps it really is that amazing? Perhaps the hype is justified...?

Let's find out...

Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 Edition (48% ABV, NAS, Japan, £200 / $450AUD / $300USD)
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Colour: Deep, deep brown-red-copper. Incredibly dark. Almost black. Easily one of the darkest whiskies we've ever tasted.

Nose: Trademark heavily-sherried Yamazaki (we've tried a few, like these ones, these ones, these ones and especially this one) - coffee, mocha, roasted brazil nuts, sherry-soaked raisins. Huge, juicy, full of cherries. Absolutely beautiful nose - one of the best in a while. A few drops of water brings a freshness and a creaminess that wasn't there without. So far so good!

Palate: Drying, tannic, and oaky. Too oaky!? There's Ribena, dark chocolate, dates, sultanas. With some water - milk chocolate. There's a bit going on here, but there's an underlying theme of "oak" I just can't shake. I haven't tried the 2013, but if this is the 2013 with 3 extra years...perhaps it didn't need them? Hate to say it, but whilst it is enjoyable, it does feel a little over-oaked.

Finish: Long, tannic, and quite bitter - hints of Campari!

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. It was an absolute pleasure to get our hands on a bottle and taste this, and it's a quintessential Japanese sherry bomb...but we just can't help but feel it's had a little too long in oak. Mind you, that nose - wow, stunning.

Cheers,
Martin.

PR #30: Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016

It took the whisky world (perhaps that should be the whisky auction world) by storm when a certain Mr Murray voted the 2013 release as "World Whisky of the Year" last year, and now it's back, with the iminent release of the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016.

Sure to be an instant sell-out, the 5,000 bottle worldwide release (246 for Australian bars and retail stores, HK release figures unknown) from Suntory is due next month.

There's scant detail on the rest of the "cask collection" (these releases usually consist of 4 different bottlings - a Mizunara cask, a Bourbon cask, a Puncheon and the Sherry cask) but since Mr Murray's award, it seems the Sherry Cask is the one on everyone's radar.

With only 5,000 bottles to be released, we're sure Suntory could use any old sherry casks and still sell out in minutes - but instead they've taken the same base as popular 2013, with an additional 2 years maturation, and thrown in some additional malts over 25 years old. Sounds like a winner to us.

We're hoping to get our hands on a bottle in the coming weeks, so we can let you know our thoughts. In the mean-time - here's the official press release:

"Suntory Whisky, the pioneer of Japanese Whisky, will launch the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 into the Australian market in February 2016. The Yamazaki Sherry Cask has been created for lovers of complex, refined, yet subtle tastes. Only 246 bottles will be available for sale in specialist whisky retailers and bars.

In 2015, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible awarded the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 “World Whisky of the Year”. The new 2016 blend incorporates the same whiskies that created the 2013’s base with an additional two years maturation as well as adding various rare sherry cask single malt whiskies, some of which are over 25 years old.

Created by Chief Blender and Great Grandson of founder Shinjiro Torii, Shinji Fukuyo, the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 is a deliberate design, choosing from over a hundred malt whiskies. While sherry casks are both revered and feared for their strong character, Shinji Fukuyo selects only casks that hold a delicate balance of chemistry between the Yamazaki malt, and sherry cask, thereby enhancing Yamazaki’s characteristically rich and multifaceted flavour.

“Shinji Fukuyo has designed a journey in this whisky. The Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 is undeniably where Spain meets Japan in the form of a whisky. To fully enjoy this journey, Fukuyo recommends the whisky first be served neat to showcase its nose. On its own, there is a clear and fresh top note. A raisin-like, deep sweetness that is both elegant and rich,” Narelle McDonald, Beam Suntory Marketing Manager for Premium Brands, said.

“You immediately taste the complexity of this liquid, and the fine balance of maturity and delicateness. Served on the rocks, the flavour opens as you begin to taste the Delaware grape-like sweetness and its slightly bitter acidity. When cut with water, there is a soft sweetness that blossoms like the first apples of the harvest,” said McDonald.

Sherry cask whisky has been a constant staple of the Suntory Whisky portfolio since 1924; a year after the distillery began construction. Shinjiro Torii started making Suntory Whisky in sherry casks imported from southern Spain, which he had originally used to blend his famous Akadama Sweet Wine.

Today, Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo visits the Northern region of Spain himself to ensure that it is his selection of Spanish oak to be sent to the “bodegas” sherry wineries to be made into sherry casks used to store their Oloroso Sherry. Fukuyo carefully oversees this entire process, from the selection and making of the casks, to the charring, and the aging of their sherry. After three years of aging, the sherry casks are sent back to Suntory Whisky, ready to receive what becomes the distinguished Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky."

(We've met Fukuyo-san twice now, and had no idea he was the Great Grandson of Shinjiro Torii. Nice guy, great blender AND from Japanese whisky royalty! Cool.)

The Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 will be available in selected specialist whisky retailers and bars from February 2016, priced at $450AUD RRP.

Cheers,
Martin.

This week in whisk(e)y #27 - Malt Masters Hong Kong returns, Starward investment from Diageo, PDT comes to Hong Kong, Suntory's limited Christmas releases, Limited edition JW Blue and new Chivas 12yo bottle design

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week or so (including other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph, Hendy & or I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...

Malt Masters Hong Kong returns
Sure to be even bigger and better than last year, Malt Masters Hong Kong is returning in 2016, to be held at Conrad Hong Kong on 27-28th February, 2016.

Steph attended last year and had a great time, especially at the masterclasses (which for 2016 will be announced on 3rd January). With 50+ distilleries, 10 masterclasses, unlimited drams and various pairing events (including food and cigars - both sure to be hits in Hong Kong), we're sure 2016's festival will be an even bigger hit than 2015's.

Tickets are $800HKD per person and include one "Dream Dram" token, unlimited regular drams, a Glencairn and canapés (at the time of writing, discounted tickets for the Sunday were still available for $600HKD). Tickets are available from Gormei now.

Suntory Whisky Celebrates the Art of Giving this Christmas (Australia)
Last year we broke news of a new Suntory x Akira Isagawa collaboration (straight from Akira himself, who we found ourselves sitting next to at the 2014 Suntory Whisky Sydney launch), which turned out to be a special release of various Suntory whiskies wrapped in a furoshiki - a traditional Japanese scarf. Whilst the collaboration with Akira doesn't seem to have continued this year, the furoshiki has - returning for Christmas in selected Dan Murphy stores.

"Available as a gift with purchase in the lead up to Christmas in selected Dan Murphy’s stores, the luxury furoshiki embodies the respect with which gifts are bestowed to friends and family in Japan during the holiday season.

Like origami, furoshiki is considered an integral part of Japanese culture. For 2000 years, furoshiki served as a special pouch to hold personal items. Today, the ancient custom has become fashionable in Japan as a beautiful eco-friendly, lasting wrapping for gifts.

The 2015 furoshiki was created in Japan and is inspired by the Tanabada Festival of sakura, or cherry blossom, famous throughout the world for their delicate and striking beauty. 

“Suntory Whisky is the perfect gift, and the furoshiki completes a Suntory Whisky present in effortless style. We will even have staff on hand to hand wrap the furoshiki for customers, as well as tastings of the Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve in selected stores.”

Just 400 furoshiki have been produced, and the limited edition scarves will be available in selected Dan Murphy’s stores* around Australia this weekend 4th – 5th December, and the 18th – 19th December as a gift to wrap any purchase of the House of Suntory’s Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve (RRP AU$88)"

No doubt these won't last long, given the popularity of any limited edition Japanese whisky these days...



Please Don’t Tell (PDT) comes to Hong Kong
Now this we're excited about. Please Don't Tell, or "PDT", the legendary New York bar (often credited with initiating the modern "speakeasy" style bar trend), is coming to Hong Kong in the form of a pop-up bar at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental from 5 to 30 January, hosted in collaboration with Diageo World Class.

Steph and I visited in 2012, and I can still remember the taste of their fantastic Benton's Old Fashioned today. Needless to say we'll definitely be going along to this one... (they're even keeping the phone booth!)

"In a first of its kind event in the bar world, PDT will be recreated inside The Shell at MO Bar. Guests will step into the bar through a hidden entrance, in a phone booth located upstairs. Once inside they will find a space that faithfully recreates every detail of the New York original. Jim Meehan, bartender, founder of PDT, author of the PDT Cocktail Book, and Jeff Bell, current head bartender of PDT and WORLD CLASS USA Bartender of the Year 2013 will be behind the bar making cocktails.

Martin Newell, from Diageo RESERVE in Hong Kong said: “WORLD CLASS is on mission to inspire people to drink better. Supported by the world's biggest bartender competition, WORLD CLASS aims to elevate the drinking experience of consumers by training and inspiring bartenders around the world and working together with bars, restaurants and hotels to elevate and foster a fine drinking cocktail culture. By bringing PDT, one of the world’s best bars and home to some of the world’s best bartenders to Hong Kong, we are giving local bartenders and consumers alike an opportunity to experience a truly unique drinking experience.”

Inside PDT there will be an exclusive menu of 12 drinks, these will be a mix of PDT classics and new creations crafted just for Hong Kong. Some of the drinks they are bringing to Hong Kong include the: ‘Benton’s Old Fashioned’ (Don Lee, Winter 2007) made with bacon infused Bulleit Bourbon, bitters and maple syrup; ‘Cardinal’ (Jeff Bell, Spring 2014) a rosy hued aperitif using Tanqueray No. TEN gin, a bittersweet aperitivo known as Casoni,, Italian red vermouth and a touch of grapefruit and lemon; and ‘1-2 Punch’, a Scotch and beer combination using the Singleton of Glen Ord, lemon, grapefruit, citrus oleo-saccharum topped with a crisp lager.

A menu of hot dogs will be offered alongside the cocktails, inspired by Crif Dogs, the hot dog stand that serves as the entrance to PDT in NYC. Richard Ekkebus, Culinary Director of Amber, has created his own hot dog and a menu featuring hot dogs from leading Hong Kong chefs; part of the proceeds of each hot dog sold will be donated to charity.

PDT HK opens inside MO Bar at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental on the 5th January, it will be open from 5pm to 1230am Tuesday to Saturday until the 30th January."

For reservations, contact MO Bar by phone: 2132 0077 or email: lmhkg-mobar@mohg.com 



Johnnie Walker Blue Label Special Release: Celebrating the Year of the Monkey
Following two previous annual releases (celebrating the Year of the Horse and Year of the Ram editions, Johnnie Walker is launching a third special release Blue Label, to celebrate the Year of the Monkey.

"JOHNNIE WALKER® BLUE LABEL™ Special Release: Year of the Monkey continues the tradition of Chinese calligraphy with blue brushstroke and golden hints. The bottle design features the energetic and joyful nature of monkey leaping fearlessly. When placing four uniquely white porcelain bottles side by side, the canvas unfolds to a stunningly beautiful visage, depicting monkeys leaping into the New Year with great joy and a daring spirit.

Drew Mills, Marketing Director of Diageo Brands noted, “JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL Year of Monkey Special Release truly marries the best of Chinese ceramic art with the very finest blend of Scotch whisky. This classic combination introduces unrivaled creative elements to the global whisky market, and I’m confident it will quickly become the premier choice for discerning collectors.”

JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL Special Release: The Year of Monkey will be available for sale at retail outlets in January 2016. (750ml/bottle)."

Chivas 12 year old re-design
We noticed something during our recent visit to the House of Chivas in Hong Kong. In the "Heritage Room", which charted the history of Chivas Regal back to the early 1900s through as series of bottle displays, what we've known as the "current" 12 year old bottle was not in fact, the last bottle on display. That honour went to this guy - the revised, 2015-onwards 12 year old.

"The new Chivas Regal 12 Year Old bottle retains the round generous shape for which it is renowned, while its shoulders have been raised higher to reflect the brand’s pride as one of the world’s leading Scotch whiskies. The brand signifier is now included as a more prominent, organic feature of the bottle, and the signatures of founders James and John Chivas have been added to the glass to display the value of brotherhood at the heart of the brand. The label has evolved to present a simplified and more vibrant look. 

The outer carton has been re-designed retaining the icons that hold depth of meaning and provenance to Chivas’ rich heritage, and select areas have been embossed and debossed to add a texturalised element to the packaging."

Same same, but different? We like it.

Congratulations Starward Whisky - $10m AUD investment including a minority stake from Diageo
Not so much a press release - more so a congratulations. Starward whisky (from the New World Whisky Distillery, whom we've become good friends with over the past few years) have recently announced the closing of an investment round of more than $10million AUD, including a minority stake taken out by Diageo

Let's just let that sink in a minute - spirits behemoth Diageo, who own brands such as Lagavulin, Talisker and Johnnie Walker, have taken out an investment stake in an Australian whisky distiller from Victoria who only filled their first barrel in 2010.

(We first heard about this a month or two ago, but now that it's been publicly announced, we're happy to be able to share the good news! The full press release can be found here.)

Clearly Diageo, see what I've been seeing in Starward all along - absolutely fantastic whisky. Look out for a write-up on a masterclass we helped host in Hong Kong (Starward's first international masterclass), which gave a few lucky Hong Kongers a taste of a number of stunning releases.

Well done David & team!

Thats all for this week. Until next time...

Cheers, 
Martin.