Introducing the winning whiskey in the 2025 lottery
Have you applied for the lottery?
In order to obtain rare whiskey or limited edition items, you must win a lottery.
Lotteries are held at various whiskey events, official distilleries such as Suntory, department stores such as Bic Camera, Aeon, Yamaya, Isetan and Takashimaya, supermarkets, drug stores, Shinanoya, Rudder, etc.
I counted about 50 entries for 2025, and I would like to tell you how many of them I chose and the winning bottles.
1st bottle: Whiskey Lovers Nagoya Saburomaru Boso Rum Cask Finish
This is an event-limited bottle for "Whiskey Lovers Nagoya 2025” This is an event limited bottle.
Saburomaru's blended whiskey is aged in barrels from the Boso Oikura Distillery in Chiba Prefecture.
I drank this rum itself, and I had the impression that it was very ethereal and delicious.
I heard that it was aged in that barrel, so I think this is a very promising bottle.
2nd bottle: Whiskey Lovers Nagoya Togouchi Bourbon Barrel
This is also “Whiskey Lovers Nagoya 2025” This is an event limited bottle.
Togouchi bourbon barrel.
Togouchi is aged in an abandoned railway tunnel.
The humidity inside the tunnel reaches 100% during the rainy season, and by absorbing that humidity, the alcohol content drops dramatically, with some wines having an alcohol content of less than 50% even after 5 years of aging.
However, this one has a relatively high alcohol content for Togouchi at 57%, so it's a bottle I'm really looking forward to.
There were 3 bottles in the lottery: Saburomaru, Togouchi, and Asaka, and I'm very grateful that 2 out of 3 were selected.
However, at Whiskey Lovers Nagoya, the lottery is held in advance and you can pick it up on the day.
And the pick-up time on the day is roughly determined.
Since there is no cloakroom or shipping booth at the event, I basically have to carry these two items with me, which is quite heavy, so I would appreciate it if you could ship them. .
3rd book: Whiskey Talk Fukuoka Togouchi
I tasted it at the ``Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025" held in June 2025.
The frequency is 54%, so I think it's a little lower, but as I said earlier, it's not unusual for Togawa.
It's a bourbon barrel, so the specs are very close to those of Whiskey Lovers, but it's a bottle I'm looking forward to.
4th book: Whiskey Talk Fukuoka Kanosuke
This is also “Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025' event limited bottle by Kanosuke.
A bottle distilled in 2019 and bottled in 2025.
It is a sherry barrel, but it is aged in a dry sherry barrel called Manzanilla.
In addition, since it is a bat, there are a lot of them, 540, but the winner is the winner.
Sherry's Kanosuke is quite good, so I'm looking forward to it.
5th book: Whiskey Talk Fukuoka Tsunuki
This is also “Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025' event limited bottle is Tsunuki.
A bottle distilled in 2021, bottled in 2025, and aged for 3 or 4 years.
The biggest feature is that liquid yeast is used.
Tsunuki made with liquid yeast is extremely fruity and delicious.
On top of that, it is aged in ruby port barrels, giving it a finish that will give you a sweet and fruity taste.
Tsunuki from Whiskey Talk won last year as well, so I'm very grateful.
6th book: Whiskey Talk Fukuoka Chichibu
Shipping will be in January 2026, so I don't have a bottle yet, but...Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025” Chichibu was also selected.
I hope to be able to introduce this as soon as it arrives.
This year, we have shown great luck in being able to beat out the most popular names such as Kanosuke, Tsunuki, and Chichibu.
However, the favorite, Niigata Kameda, was out. .
We hope to see you again in 2026.
7th book: Kirkeran 8 Years Cask Strength
This bottle was won at The Whiskey Crew tasting event held in September 2025.
It is a limited edition that comes out once a year, and the standard product Kirkerran 16 Year Old is water-added, but the 8 Year Old is cask strength.
I'm looking forward to it, but I think I'll wait a little while before opening it.
8th: Acorn Azumi
This is Asaka from Acorn.
held in September 2025 ``Hachioji Whiskey Street 2025” I applied.
If there are a large number of applications, there will be a lottery, so technically I don't know if the lottery took place or not, but I will treat you as a winner.
I tasted it, and I think it was a nice Asaka with passion fruit notes.
There is a slight alcohol attack, so I think I'll let it sit for a while before opening the bottle.
Closing Thoughts
I mentioned at the beginning that there were about 50 draws. .
To be exact, I applied for 47 drawings and there were 8 final draws, so my probability of winning was about 17%.
By the way, the past winning probabilities are as follows.
In 2024, apply for 140 lotteries and win 18 draws Probability of winning: 12.85%
The reason why the number of applications for the lottery has decreased dramatically is because people are no longer chasing Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Hibiki.
In connection with this, I applied for a lottery for the Hibiki 100th Anniversary bottle, but the fact that I haven't introduced it is a natural loss.
In addition, if you apply for a seminar or other event, you can purchase bottles that would normally be eligible for a lottery, and you can purchase them on the spot without having to participate in the lottery, so the number of applications for the lottery has decreased for that reason as well.
I also think the big thing is that you can now purchase official bottles of Shinko Distillery's Japanese whiskey without having to go through a lottery.
I think it's been a year since the Japanese whiskey boom subsided and it became relatively easy to buy.
That said, there is still a lottery required for single casks, so if there is a bottle that interests me in 2026, I would like to apply and purchase it.
YouTube
