[The Finale of 2023!!] Whisky Festival in Tokyo 2023 Report

Whiskey Festival in Tokyo 2023

Whisky Festival－ウイスキーフェスティバル

ウイスキーフェスティバルは国内最大級のウイスキーイベントです。

whiskyfestival.jp

“Whiskey Festival in Tokyo 2023”.

Two sessions were held each day, and I attended the second session.

In the case of an event that is divided into several parts like this,If you go to the later part, you may find that some brands are sold out and you cannot drink or buy them, so we recommend you to join the earlier part if it is convenient for you.

Participation fee

Since the event was held in Tokyo, tickets were sold out within about a month after they went on sale.

We recommend getting tickets as early as possible for these types of events.

If the event is held in Kanto, there will be a large number of participants, so we recommend getting your tickets as early as possible.

Introduction of brands sampled

Now, I would like to introduce all the brands that I sampled this time.

1st cup: Akkeshi Hakuro

Photo right

This is my second time tasting it, and I still felt the grassiness that comes from youth.

2nd cup: Koyuki Akkeshi

Photo left

Akkeshi Distillery's latest release is a blended whisky.

It has a bit of iodine, and I liked this Koyuki better than Shirotsu.

Personally, I look for peat and iodine from Akkeshi Distillery like Islay.

3rd cup: Ardbeg Single Cask #3083

Sorry this photo is vertical.

This is a single cask that was drawn by the Ardbeg committee the other day.

Even if I won a bottle of 80,000 yen, it would be difficult to purchase, so I didn't apply for the lottery, hoping I could drink it somewhere, but I never thought I'd come across it this quickly.

I have another #3075, so I'd like to come across this one someday.

It is said to have been distilled in October 2011, so I think it has been aged for 11 years.

When I put it in my mouth, I only felt the sweetness, which gave me the impression that it was a bit off-putting, but then the intense iodine and smokiness came through, and I felt it was powerful.

I was able to drink the single cask, and I was able to pre-purchase the anamorphic that was scheduled to go on sale from 12:00 on Tuesday, December 5th, so I'm glad I stopped by.

4th cup: Killchoman Sanaig

My impression was that it was full of grassiness that couldn't be hidden by the sherry, peat, and iodine.

5th Cup: Kilchoman Lochgorm 2023

Center of photo

It didn't taste grassy, and it had a stronger sherry flavor than Sanaig, and it was delicious.

Since it is a limited edition product that is only available once a year, I think it will be difficult to purchase the 2023 version from now on, so I will try to buy the version that will be released next year.

6th cup: M&H Christmas Treat

Center of photo

M&H's Christmas release.

At first it seems light, but as you put it in your mouth, the taste becomes stronger.

It had a sweet and slightly citrusy freshness.

7th glass: M&H Behind the Cask

Photo right

I felt a rich sherry flavor, spiciness, and a fruity aftertaste.

This was a product I should have bought.

8th cup: Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL

This is Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL released on December 1, 2023.

I felt a flavor and aftertaste similar to vanilla and bourbon.

9th cup: Gekkogawa Distillery New Pot

Although it is a new pot, I felt a plump impression.

10th cup: Saburomaru III The empress Cask Strength

2nd from the right in the photo

I was able to purchase the water-added type the other day, so I immediately opened the bottle and tried it.

On top of that, I tried Cask Strength, but personally, I preferred the water-added type to Cask Strength.

If you try drinking it with water and cask strength, the taste is quite different, so if you have a chance, I would like you to drink both.

If possible, I would like to compare drinks from 0 to Ⅲ.

11th cup: Zanzibar Secret Islay 7 years old

2nd from the right in the photo

Although it is labeled as Secret Islay, Zanzibar's Künstler series has a picture of the actual distillery on the label, giving a hint as to which distillery it is from.

The contents here are Lagavulin.

It's young and grassy, with some sherry notes, but since it's Lagavulin, I was about to buy it without tasting it, but I guess I made the right decision not to buy this one.

12th cup: Zanzibar Tomintor 21 years old

Center of photo, 3rd from the right

It has a fruity, honey-like sweetness, with a slightly spicy aftertaste.

It's good to buy this.

13th Cup: 100 Years of Whiskey Project Suntory

I previously drank it at a barshow held in May, and my impression was the same as that time: It felt like a Suntory blended drink.

14th cup: Hida Takayama Distillery New Pot

This is a distillery that distills at ZEMON following Saburomaru Distillery.

Like Gekkogawa, I felt the New Pot had a fullness to it, but to be honest, I couldn't tell the difference between it and Gekkogawa.

15th cup: Chichibu Refill Bourbon Barrel

Photo right

At the event, you can drink these products that are not yet commercialized.

I like it fruity.

Personally, I look for fruitiness in Chichibu.

16th cup: Chichibu Chibidaru Peated

Photo left

There's some peat, but I also felt a bit of fruitiness.

I think Chichibu should be fruity after all.

17th Cup: Blackadder Calilla 10 Years Old

A bottle of Islay's PX Sherry is very useful to have, so I thought I'd buy it, so I was looking for sherry peat and iodine.

18th glass: Komoro Distillery New Pot

Although it is a new pot, I felt a fruity nuance.

It has a different impression from Gekkogawa and Hida Takayama, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it will change over time.

19th glass: Single Blended Japanese Whiskey Fuji 50th Anniversary Edition

This is a limited edition product released last month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gotemba Distillery.

The scent had a hint of glue reminiscent of long-ripened grains, and the taste had the sweetness of malt grain, with a bitter and fruity aftertaste, giving it a complex taste typical of a long-ripened blend.

The price is high when you buy it, but it's one that I'd like you to try at least once.

20th cup: Rag Kilmoly Edition

I got the impression that it had a grassy feel and was slightly sweet.

I've tried several types of rugs, but I can't get rid of the grassy feeling, so I'm thinking of not buying them for a while and seeing how things go at events like this.

21st Cup: Yamaga Newborn 2023

Although it has a grassy taste, I think it has a sweetness to it, so I look forward to seeing it in the future.

22nd Cup: Inchimarin 10 Year Ex Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish

Center of photo, 3rd from the right

The taste was good, but I personally didn't like the spicy taste in the latter half.

23rd Cup: Secret Orkney 17 Years for SHINANOYA Roppongi Hills

Center of photo, 3rd from the right

The Secret Orkney notation is usually Highland Park, and this one looks like Highland Park as well.

Although it has been aged for 17 years, it had a grassy feel and a slightly unpleasant flavor.

24th cup: Asaka Orange Edition 2023

Center of photo, 3rd from the right

It was sold last year, and a Beams collaboration piece will be released this year as well.

It had a distinctive bitter aftertaste.

25th cup: Asaka IPA CASK FNISH

2nd from the right in the photo

It has a fruity and bitter taste reminiscent of an IPA, and I think it's delicious with a strong barrel feel.

This was so delicious that I regret not buying it.

26th Cup: Buffalo Trace

[Really held on the street!!] Hachioji Whiskey Street 2023 participation record

八王子ウイスキーストリート 2023年10月28日（土）に開催された『八王子ウイスキーストリート』に参加してきました。 ちなみに、関東に住み始めて10年近くが経とうとしていますが、初めて八王子を訪れました。。 ウイスキー"ストリー

nww-blog.com

Held in October, “Hachioji Whiskey Street 2023'But I tried Buffalo Trace, and now I can drink bourbon.'

I'm thinking of buying one and trying it out at home.

27th Cup: Eagle Rare 10 Years

It's delicious.

I should have bought it because it was on sale during Amazon's Black Friday.

28th cup: Southern Comfort Original

It's not whiskey, it's more like a fruit liqueur.

It looked like a cocktail and was easy to drink.

29th cup: Southern Comfort Black

It had a brown sugar taste and I thought it would definitely go well with cola.

30th cup: Southern Comfort with cola

I was told that I would also get a free coke, so I was spoiled for it.

It's delicious as you can imagine.

31st cup: Umaoi Distillery New Pot

Photo left

It had a dry impression, unlike the plump taste of Gekkogawa and Hida Takayama and the fruity taste of Komoro.

32nd cup: Umaoi Distillery Newborn

I felt a bit of a matcha-like element rather than a grassy feeling.

33rd glass: Kusumi Distillery Newborn Non-peated

I also felt a little brightness and fruity elements.

I didn't feel that much of a grassy taste, so I'm looking forward to its release as a Japanese whisky.

34th Cup: Tamna Boleyn

It felt a little wheaty.

35th cup: Glenkinchie 12 years old

Photo left

It had a pleasant sweetness and a hint of barley, and it was the kind of flavor that I would want to drink slowly in the afternoon on a day off.

36th cup: Glen Grant 18 years old

I felt apple and vanilla

Glen Grant has stopped at Alboralis, so I think I'll buy around 10 years old next time.

37th cup: Igawa Distillery Non-peated Non-peated

There's a plum-like and sweet feeling that I've always felt.

Impressions of the event

A Japanese festival was held at the same venue around this time last year, but compared to that time, there were a lot more people and I think it was more lively.

The lineup consisted mainly of official products such as Shinko Distillery, Scotch, Irish, and Bourbon, but there was also a lot of lineup that you don't usually see.

Many of the drinks were free or I was able to sample them at a low price, so I think it was a pretty good event.

Points to note

A note for those using Rakuten Mobile.

Whiskey events are often held at Bellesalle Takadanobaba, but the venue is on the second floor of the basement, so Rakuten Mobile, which is weak in Tokyo's underground areas, has no signal.

There is no free Wi-Fi inside the venue, so you will be out of range for several hours.

If you get separated from the person you came with, or if you meet someone you are connected to on SNS, you will need to return to the ground or near the entrance where you can receive radio waves.

In addition, some electronic money such as Suica and QUICPay can be used to make payments even when you are out of service area, but QR code payments such as PayPay cannot be made when you are out of service area.

Because exhibitors were also using payment and settlement services using Rakuten lines, some of them were unable to pay by credit card or electronic money and were asked to pay in cash.

Last year's Japanese Festival was held at the same venue, and Rakuten Mobile had no reception, so it seems that no improvements have been made in the past year.

Taking advantage of last year's experience, this time I brought along the Softbank line that I use as a sub.

Softbank had no problems getting a signal, so I think Rakuten Mobile is probably the only place where you can't get a signal.

If you are using Rakuten Mobile, it would be a good idea to take some measures, such as bringing a sub-line if you have one, or redundant lines with dual SIM or eSIM.

Purchased product introduction

This event did not include glasses.

Now, I'd like to introduce you to what I purchased at this event.

1st bottle: Niigata Kameda Distillery Peated Edition2

I bought Peated Edtion2 because it was newly released.

2nd bottle: Niigata Kameda Distillery Winter Edition

The Winter Edition seems to be a Niigata-limited bottle, but it seems to have been released in advance at this whiskey festival.

I am grateful for the purchase.

Niigata Kameda Distillery is our favorite distillery, so we buy everything we can.

Niigata Kameda Distillery Glass (white)

Glasses with logs were on sale, so I bought them as well.

This time I purchased one with the logo printed in white, but there was also a type with the logo printed in black.

I was also looking for bottles from Yoshida Denzai Distillery, also located in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, and Nagahama Distillery, which is well-known for its event-limited bottles, but they were sold out and I couldn't buy them.

Closing Thoughts

This is the last whiskey event to be held in 2023.

I think it was a good size and lively event to conclude the event.

When the year changes to 2024, I think there will be whiskey events held in various places, starting with Whiskey Lovers Nagoya, which I plan to participate in, on January 21, 2024.

I will continue to participate in as many whiskey events as possible next year.