[A Great Month!!] My Favorite Whiskies of November 2024

This time, we will introduce some delicious whiskeys that we bought in November 2024 or drank at bars.

1st: KFWS Tam Dew 1989 34 Year Hogshead for KFWS 5th Anniversary

This is a long-aged Tam Dew released to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Kyoto Fine Wine and Spirits (commonly known as Kyoto-san).

Tam Dew is often released in sherry casks, but this one is likely a bourbon refill hogshead.

The palate is full of tropical flavor, with a hint of barley and a nutty aftertaste, with a hint of alcohol and a hint of ginger.

In other words, it's insanely delicious.

It's around 80,000 yen each, so I can't buy it immediately, but if I have the money, it's one I'd like to buy.

2nd: ACORN Friends of Oak Linkwood 2008 15 years

This is Linkwood from the series Friends of Oak released by ACORN.

Full of apple flavor, Japanese pear-like, oily, and nutty, it has exactly the elements you look for in short- to medium-ripened linkwood.

Water is added to 46%, which is a characteristic of the series, but the characteristics of Linkwood are not diluted, and in fact, the alcohol content is so high that you don't get tired of drinking it, so you can drink it for a long time.

The price is around 12,000 yen, so it's easy to get your hands on, but the number of outturns is rather small at 160, so I'd like to secure this as soon as possible.

3rd: KFWS Irish 2002 21 ZODIAC SERIES CANCER

A 2002 distilled Irish wine released by Kyoto Fine Wine and Spirits (commonly known as Kyoto-san).

Although it is a secret, the contents are coolies whose winning years were 2001 and 2002.

It has a lemony and milky taste, giving the impression of a lemon milk candy.

The price was close to 50,000 yen because it was a popular year, but it was so delicious that I thought it was worth buying.

Up until now I've mainly focused on Scotch and Japanese, but lately I've been getting into Chojuku Irish. .

I've also started to get interested in bourbon, so I'm going to focus on whiskey as a whole and drink a variety of them.

This bottle is from the ZODIAC SERIES, and this time the motif is Cancer.

It is said that one or two titles will be released each year, so I look forward to future releases.

4th bottle: Asaka Aloha Whiskey 5th anniversary

This single cask from Asaka was bottled to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Aloha Whiskey in Ikebukuro.

This is a bottle that was distilled in 2018 and aged for 6 years in a second-fill bourbon barrel.

It was a delicious bottle that balanced the bitterness of the barrel with the fruitiness and sweetness of Asaka's unblended sake.

I get the impression that the sweetness becomes stronger after a while.

Personally, it was the 2nd or 3rd most delicious Asaka I've ever had.

By the way, No. 1 is Asaka IPA Cask Finish, and competing with this bottle for No. 2 is Asaka Peated 2023.

Azumi seems to be getting better every year, and I think there are more and more bottles of both official and single cask that I think are outstanding and delicious.

I will continue to pay attention to this.

5th bottle: Maltman Glen Rossie 1997 26 year refill sherry butt

Glen Rossie, distilled in 1997 and aged for 26 years.

You can feel the vanilla on the palate, and it turns into a tropical flavor from the middle.

It's a refill sherry vat, so the sherry isn't too strong, and it adds a slight fruity accent.

Although it's a little expensive at around 45,000 yen per bottle, I personally think it's a good buy.

6th bottle: Trinidad Rum T.D.L 2003 21 Year Barrel For BAR CAPERDONICH & SHINANOYA

It's not whiskey, it's rum.

This bottle was bottled to commemorate the 10th anniversary of BAR CAPERDONECH in Shinbashi.

2003 is Trinidad's lucky year.

On the palate, the rum-like glue-like ester scent passed through my nose, but it was a delicious bottle with slightly sour plums, plums, and brown sugar, and tropical fruit on the finish.

Each bottle costs a little over 35,000 yen, but I think this is a good buy.

I think this is a bottle that will appeal to whiskey lovers, so even if you don't buy it, you should definitely give it a try.

Closing Thoughts

As a reaction to not going to many bars last month in October, I went to a few bars in November.

I drank quite a few different types, but I was able to come across some delicious bottles that I decided to buy or introduce.

There is only December left in 2024, but there are still many good releases expected, including those from Japanese Bottlers, so I'm planning on drinking at bars and whiskey events next month as well.