Best releases in the second half of 2025
This time, I will decide on my personal opinion of the best releases for the second half of 2025.
Among the bottles I drank in the second half of the year, I would like to list 3 bottles from official brands and 3 bottles from bottlers and private bottles that I thought were especially good/tasty.
The best release of the first half of 2025 is “here』。
Official 1st bottle: Single malt KOMAGATAKE
Until last year, it was treated as a limited release like the 2024 Edition, but from this year it has been released as a standard product that is sold all year round.
It tasted like muscat, citrus, barley, and ripe persimmon, giving the impression of barley and fruit.
Since we restarted distilling in 2011, 14 years have passed this year, so we expect that we will have a rich selection of unprocessed sake.
I get the impression that there are more and more delicious single cask products, but it's amazing that they are offering this level of quality in an official release.
I don't think anyone calls it that anymore, but I think it has become something that can no longer be called a new distillery.
We look forward to future releases.
Official 2nd run: Loch Lomond 12 years old
It's not released this year, so it's a little off topic, but I drank it in the second half of the year and thought it was great, so I'd like to introduce it to you as a second bottle.
The single cask has a chemical fruitiness, but the Official 12 Year Old has a slightly tropical feel.
You can have it straight, or I think a highball with water would be good too.
Above all, I think the price of 4,000 yen is attractive.
The price has increased across the board, and there are some blended products that are in this price range, but I think this price is cheap for a single malt.
Loch Lomond has become a loser in whiskey lucky bags, but now that the Japanese whiskey boom has calmed down and the popularity of whiskey lucky bags has calmed down, I think this is one you should try.
Official 3rd: Niigata Kameda Zodiac Sign Series Capricorn
I chose Niigata Kameda's single malt first release for the first half of the year, but I also chose it for the second half.
I'm going to buy a bottle, but I'm still at the shooting stage so I haven't been able to purchase it yet. .
I'm from Niigata, so my favorite distillery is Niigata Kameda because it's close to my hometown, but even without that preconception, it was delicious.
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 hold whiskey events and seminars at various locations, so please try drinking it in some way.
Bottler's 1st bottle: Bushmills 1991-2025
This is the Bushmills Sister Cask for barfinch and non-peat fish in Nagoya, which we introduced in the first half of the year.
There are a lot of whiskeys in this world, with a hint of dark peaches and grapes, and a slightly tropical or fruity flavor, but I don't think there are many that are this dark.
In addition to the peaches and grapes, there is a bit of a barrel-like nuance, and there is also a mintiness that I personally feel comes from long-ripened Bushmills, so it has a mintia-like element of peaches and grapes.
One bottle costs 140,000 yen, so it's quite expensive to drink at a bar, but if you see it, give it a try.
Bottler's PB 2nd: Bowmore 2016 9 Dein Whiskey
Fruity, especially passion fruit, salty and peat.
I sometimes feel certain fruits such as short-ripening Japanese bottles and passion fruit, but this is the first time I've felt this in a short-ripening Scotch.
Due to the climate, I had the impression that fruit would start to appear in Scotch after 15 years of ripeness, but I heard that Bowmore changed its production method in 2016 to give it a more fruity taste, so I think that's exactly what was showing.
Bowmore has relatively delicious vintages such as 2011 and 2013, but I think 2016 is a vintage worth checking out in the future.
Check out the 2016 vintage, not just this bottle.
Bottler's PB 3rd: Shinanoya Unorkney 2006 18
It's Unorkney, so it's Highland Park, and as it looks, it's Sherry.
A combination of raisins, antique furniture, leather, heather honey, apples, peat, tide, nuts and Highland Park character with a sherry without the negatives.
Personally, I was struck by the fact that each flavor had its own distinct characteristics, yet the flavors were so complex.
Still, the price is less than 20,000 yen (tax included) for an 18 year old bottle, so it's about 1000 yen x the number of years it's been aged, making it a great buy.
This year there were many releases of large bottles, with the average being over 50,000, 60,000 or 70,000, and a fair number of releases around 100,000.
Islay is over 30 years old, so the price seems reasonable, but what do you think about all the bottles like that? It's fine for just this one year, but won't more people turn away from whiskey as funds run out? That's what I thought. .
A relatively cheap and delicious bottle like this was released at the end of the year, so it's not the antithesis of expensive bottles, but I chose this one for that reason as well.
I think it has become a hot topic, but since it is a bat, there are a lot of them and I think you can still get them, so if you are interested, please hurry.
2025 Best Release Official
I would like to decide the best release from the official bottles released/drinked in 2025.
- [First half] Niigata Kameda Zodiac Sign Series Pisces
- [First half] The Y.A. #04
- [First half] Chichibu Distillery II
- [Second half] Single malt KOMAGATAKE
- [Second half] Loch Lomond 12 years
- [Second half] Niigata Kameda Zodiac Sign Series Capricorn
Among these, I think Niigata Kameda's second release, "Niigata Kameda Zodiac Sign Series Capricorn" was good.
It's a fusion of peat and fruit, so I'll say it again, but I think it would have been better to remove the preconceptions of being a distillery.
I hope you will try it in some form.
Best Release of 2025 Bottlers PB
Next, I would like to decide on the best release from the Bottler's PB bottles that were released or drank in 2025.
- [First half] Tsunuki Liquid East
- [First half] Whiskey Age Bushmills 1991 32 years
- [First half] Three Rivers Shiki Imperial 1998 25 years
- [Second half] Bushmills 1991-2025
- [Second Half] Bowmore 2016 9 Years Dein Whiskey
- [Second Half] Shinanoya Ann Orkney 2006 18 Years
Among these, "Tsunuki Liquid Yeast" was good.
We use liquid yeast where dry yeast is normally used.
As a result of this, it has a short ripening age of 4 years, but the result is a very fruity bottle.
Scotch, such as Dornoch, takes a week to ferment, and I personally think that whiskeys made using fermentation methods that place emphasis on yeast and fermentation time are good because they are simply delicious.
On the other hand, it has been criticized for being fruity and lacking in complexity.
It is true that there are doubts as to whether it can withstand long-term aging, but my personal opinion is that all whiskeys have an appropriate aging period, so as long as they taste good at this stage, it's fine.
Tsunuki's liquid yeast is being released from time to time, so I hope you will try one out.
Closing Thoughts
2025 was a year of quite large releases.
I thought I had a fair amount of drinks at the bar, but it was pretty tough financially. .
There are many bottles that I think are delicious if you have that amount of money and age, but I was impressed by the number of short-aged and medium-aged cost performance whiskeys that were particular about the manufacturing method that were released as delicious releases.
I just hope that this year happened to be full of big releases, and I hope that next year, 2026, will be a relatively calm year, although there will be some releases here and there.
I will try to find some more delicious releases and bottles.
So, I hope to continue drinking in moderation in 2026.
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