This time, we will introduce some delicious whiskeys that we bought in December 2025 or drank at bars.
- 1st: Shinanoya Unorkney 2006 18 years
- 2nd: Niigata Kameda zodiac sign series Capricorn
- 3rd: Shinanoya Japonisme Strathaira 1989 35 years
- 4th: CLUB QING Inch Gower 1998 26 years
- 5th bottle: T&T TOYAMA The Nymph Secret Islay 1991 30 years
- 6th bottle: Silver Seal Chichibu 2016-2024
- 7th bottle: Asaya Shoten Highland Single Malt 2011 14 years
- 8th and 9th bottles: Glenfarclas Family Cask 1977&1982
- Impressions
1st: Shinanoya Unorkney 2006 18 years
『Whiskey Festival in Tokyo 2025Before participating in the event, I visited Shinanoya's physical store to ask what I should drink at the event, and was told, ``This is it.” was the answer.
They offered a paid tasting, so I took it.
It's Unorkney, so the contents are Highland Park, and as you can see, it's a sherry cask.
On the palate, it combines raisins, antique furniture, leather, heather honey, apples, peat, seaweed, nuts and Highland Park characteristics with a sherry without the negatives.
Personally, I was struck by the fact that while the characteristics of Highland Park and Sherry are present, the flavor is so complex.
Still, the price is less than 20,000 yen including tax for an 18 year old bottle, so it's a good buy as it costs about 1,000 yen for the age.
Actually, I bought it on the spot.
As the store clerk mentioned, it was a hot topic at the event as expected.
Since it is a bat, there are a certain number of them, so I think you can still buy them, but if you are interested, please buy them as soon as possible.
2nd: Niigata Kameda zodiac sign series Capricorn
Bottle with a book written on the label
This is Niigata Kameda's second single malt to be released on Monday, December 22, 2025.
『Whiskey Festival in Tokyowas held on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th, so I was able to sample it in advance.
The second version is peaty, with tropical elements on the palate, peaty towards the middle, and banana and peat on the finish, giving it a grilled banana-like nuance.
Shinko Distillery's single malts often have a distinct New Potty flavor, but Niigata Kameda's single malt doesn't have that New Potty flavor.
I personally buy a lot of single casks, but to be honest, the single casks tend to give me a plum-like impression that feels like New Potty or young unblended malt, but I don't really feel like the official single malts are blended well.
Even if you don't buy it, we are holding whiskey events and seminars at various locations, so I would like you to drink it in some way.
I'm from Niigata and it's close to my hometown, so Niigata Kameda is my favorite distillery.
Even without that extravagance, I thought it was delicious.
3rd: Shinanoya Japonisme Strathaira 1989 35 years
Japonism is released at the end of every year.
This year's Strath Islay is distilled for 89 years and aged for 35 years.
Feels like dead leaves, tea leaves, and tropical, especially pineapple.
It gives the impression of fruit tea and is definitely a delicious bottle.
Well, the price is 120,000 yen per bottle, so it's difficult to buy it on a budget. .
4th: CLUB QING Inch Gower 1998 26 years
A waxy, chemical, tropical fruit with a melon-like feel.
This bottle had good reviews before, and it's certainly delicious.
The price was less than 50,000 yen, so I would have bought it if I could.
5th bottle: T&T TOYAMA The Nymph Secret Islay 1991 30 years
It's a secret Islay, but the inside is said to be Laphroaig.
Tropical, yellow fruit, slightly peat, and creamy.
Compared to the many 91 rough releases this year and the few I've had, the tropical flavor and yellow fruit feel were a little weaker, and the peat seemed weaker.
I didn't find the creaminess in the other bottles, so I think this is the characteristic of this bottle.
In terms of taste, it's really delicious with these specs.
However, if I were to ask if I should buy it, I would be hesitant to compare it with other bottles, but considering the price of 91 Lakh and the price going up in the future, I think it's a good idea.
It looks like you can still buy it, so let's save up our budget and keep our eyes peeled for it.
6th bottle: Silver Seal Chichibu 2016-2024
Chichibu aged for 7 or 8 years with 2nd fill sherry hogshead.
It has the sweetness of sherry, apricot, and creaminess.
It's a fusion of fruit and sherry, but since it's a 2nd fill, the sherry isn't too strong, so it was a nice Chichibu.
It seems like you can buy it if it's a bundled sale, but it might have been a good idea to buy it. .
7th bottle: Asaya Shoten Highland Single Malt 2011 14 years
The name is hidden as Highland Single Malt, but the inside is Macallan.
It's commonly known as Wakkaran.
The taste is exactly as the label always says, but it's berry-like, with ginger and cinnamon-type spices.
I think it's worth buying if it tastes like Wakkaran Katsuko.
8th and 9th bottles: Glenfarclas Family Cask 1977&1982
The one distilled in 1977 has a tropical, wheat, and nutty finish.
The 1982 distilled one is tropical and has the same barley flavor, but it has a strong vanilla flavor, so I prefer this one.
Although both are delicious.
Both are listed as 4th fill hogsheads, but I think they are probably sherry casks.
However, since it's a 4th fill, it doesn't feel like a solid sherry, but almost feels like a bourbon barrel.
Personally, I don't like Glenfarclas bourbon barrels because they have a strong thorniness and alcohol attack, but I personally like the 3rd and 4th fill bottles because they give off not just sherry, but barley and unblended whiskey.
By the way, the price is 680,000 yen per bottle for 1977 and 820,000 yen for 1982.
If this is a tasting, the appeal of whiskey events is that you can compare drinks at a low price of 3,000 yen each.
Impressions
As usual, toward the end of the year, various companies released large-scale, eye-catching releases for the year-end sales season.
We participated in the event and tasted them at the "Whiskey Festival 2025 in Tokyo", following the natural flow of water from a high place to a low place.
So, most of the bottles I introduced were sampled at events.
And if you drink it and it tastes good, then you buy it. This is also a natural flow, and I have bought some of the bottles I introduced this time.
We always introduce the bottles we purchased separately, so please check there.
Throughout the year, I think that this year, 2025, there were many large-scale releases that were priced not only at 50,000 yen per bottle, but also at 70,000, 100,000 yen or more.
Of course it's difficult to buy, but expensive bottles also cost a certain amount of money to drink at a bar, so it was financially difficult to pursue to some extent. .
Many of these bottles are delicious, so I was happy in the sense that I was able to come across many delicious bottles.
Having said that, it's going to be tough if this happens continuously, so I hope that 2026 will be a relatively calm year, although there will be a few good releases here and there.
So, I hope I can continue drinking comfortably into 2026.
