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View Full Version : Any Interest In "Distillery Only" Releases From Japan?


Islay Peat
01-30-2013, 02:12 PM
I bought a few bottles from distilleries while in Japan that aren't even available if you go to Tokyo and am trying to decide whether to drink them all myself or to sell a couple off.
The bottlings I have are from Yamazaki, Hakushu and Miyagikyou, the latter two being very hard to get to if you were to decide to go yourself.
I'll post more on these if there is any interest, and if not, will let the thread die.

I also have a single bottle of 2012's Best Blend in the World award winner limited release non-chill filtered Taketsuru 17. The regular version, which is the one that took the award is still available, but the non-chill filtered bottling is now sold out and I had to search very hard to find the single bottle that I have.

HelpfulDrinker
01-30-2013, 08:51 PM
Depending what you've got I might be very interested. Please post specifics and pics or contact me through this forum.

Islay Peat
02-02-2013, 02:05 PM
Here's a bottle of 2006 GlenEbisu, Yoichi 10, Suntory Single Grain, Yamazaki 12 and Nikka Single Cask 10.http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/Akami_photos/Whisky/DSCF9341_zpsfae4d96b.jpg

Suntory Single Grain, Nikka Single Cask 10, Yamazaki Single Malt and Hakushu Single Malt.
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/Akami_photos/Whisky/DSCF9343_zps62c48a86.jpg

All of the Single Cask, Single Grain and both the bottles with Japanese labeling only are bottlings only available from the distillery.

I personally bought the Nikka Single Cask 10 because I liked it so much and if you can read the line below the English labeling, it shows that it's from Sendai/Miyagikyou distillery in Miyagi, just inland from where the tsunami hit last year.

Any further information I can give just let me know.

HelpfulDrinker
02-02-2013, 06:48 PM
These look to be 200ml bottles. Is that correct? Please post sizes and, if you can, explain what distillery the all-Japanese-lettering ones are (distillery, age, any cask info, etc). Thanks.

Islay Peat
02-03-2013, 03:53 AM
The Nikka Single Cask 10 is 180ml and 57% ABV, from the Miyagikyou distillery about an hour outside of Sendai.

The GlenEbisu is a 200ml bottle and I know very little about it other than that Ebisu is a trendy part of Tokyo and I plan on finding out more about the distillery later in the year. It also appears to be a 5 year bottling.

The three Suntory bottlings with mostly Japanese labeling are from either Yamazaki, in Osaka, or Hakushu in Yamanashi. I went to both within days of each other and don't recall which bottles came from where, as I believe both distilleries carry the other branding, as they are sister brands so to speak.
The one on the left says 山崎 and is from the Yamazaki distillery with an ABV of 40%; the one on the right is from 白州, or the Hakushu distillery and has an ABV of 43%.

Don't know why I have two bottles of the Hakushu but only one of the Yamazaki, as I like both, but can only surmise that I bought one more since I didn't realize I'd already purchased one, or intended on two of each and forgot to buy another of the Yamazaki.

There doesn't appear to be much more information than that but I'll take a closer look later and see if I can find any more pertinent specs. I do believe you're right about the 300ml size for these bottles.

Islay Peat
02-08-2013, 03:30 AM
Still available

Islay Peat
05-10-2013, 06:16 AM
Suntory Single Grain Whisky and both bottles of Hakushu Single Malt are gone.

I've also got the 750ml. bottle of limited edition non-chill filtered Taketsuru 17 which is completely sold out in Japan, and at the time I picked it up in December none of the distributors had any left.