[An Outstanding Month!!] My Favorite Whiskies of December 2024

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

1st bottle: Shinanoya Imperial 1995 24 Year Barrel for SHINANOYA

This is one of the bottles from the Imperial Distillery, which was closed in 2005, released by Shinanoya.

You can really feel the peach flavor that is characteristic of long-ripened Imperials, and I think it has a bit of woody and herbal elements, but I think it's delicious.

The price alone is 50,000 yen per bottle, which is expensive, but releases from other bottlers cost around 100,000 yen, so I think it's cheap compared to those.

I thought the price would continue to rise, and I wanted one, but I lost out in the lottery and couldn't buy one.

2nd bottle: Maltyama Scapa 2001 22 Years 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel for Maltyama 11th Anniversary

The refreshingness of the citrus and the juiciness of the apple were both impressive and delicious.

Since it was an event, I drank it quickly while standing, but I think it would be better to take your time at a bar and drink from the middle to the bottom of the bottle if possible.

3rd: Lagavulin Diageo Special Release 2024

This is the 2024 Diageo special release.

It has already been released overseas, and has finally arrived in Japan.

Recently, Diageo special releases have often been released in strange barrels such as tequila barrels, but this time they finally released a decent release with 1st fill and refill bourbon barrels.

It has a bit of spiciness from the barrel, but it also has the peat, sweetness, and weight of Lagavulin, so I think it's a good bottle to buy.

Lagavulin Special Release 2024

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4th: Niigata Kameda 2021 3rd year

The event-limited bottle for Whiskey Festival 2024 in Tokyo is the first single malt released by Niigata Kameda Distillery.

It had a rich honey taste, a kelp flavor that I personally don't like, spicy, a slight alcohol attack from its youth, and a hint of apple in the aftertaste.

Although it is only 3 years old, it is not monotonous and has elements other than the sweetness of the honey, so I think it is a delicious product that we can look forward to in the future, even if you exclude the fact that it is a popular distillery.

It looks like it will be officially released as a single malt in 2025, so I'd like to keep track of it.

5th: THE YUZA Lion Label

This is a book commemorating Mitsukoshi's 110th anniversary.

Speaking of Mitsukoshi, there is a lion statue, the lion is the king of beasts, and this bottle commemorates the 110th anniversary.

Fully matured in Mizunara oak barrels.

I could really feel the nuances of Quercus oak, and the fruitiness of Yusa itself matched well.

A bottle costs about 40,000 yen, but this might be the one you should buy.

It's delicious, but perhaps due to poor marketing or label design, Yusa isn't very popular, but it's still delicious. . This was one book that made me feel that way.

6th: Myaoi GIN Hatsukoi

This is gin from Maoi Distillery.

Although the distillery also produces whisky, I personally associate it with gin.

This one is said to be inspired by osmanthus, but it was delicious with a citrus-like nuance similar to osmanthus.

Personally, I like Osmanthus, and many of the Osmanthus gins are quite delicious, so I'm thinking of collecting them.

7th bottle: Shinanoya Caroni 1997 22 Year Barrel for SHINANOYA

It's not whiskey, it's rum.

The taste and aftertaste are quite tropical, and although the body seemed a little weak, I think it was delicious overall.

I think one of the characteristics of rum is that it has no esthetics like adhesive.

I think there are many people who dislike this ethereal taste, but this is one that I would recommend to those who dislike rum because of its ethereal quality.

I think this is one that will appeal to malt lovers.

8th: THE WHISKY HOOP Benromach 2003

Distilled in 2003, bottled in 2024, and aged for 20 years in 1st fill bourbon barrels.

This was quite delicious.

The tropical flavor is on full display, with a hint of peat on the finish.

It was a fruit and peat that was different from the Islay type, and it felt like a new genre.

I had the impression that Benromach had a lot of good releases around 10 years old and was cheap, but I will continue to pay attention to the long-aged class around 20 years old.

9th: Secret Orkney 2010 13 Refill Sherry Bat for SHINANOYA

Secret (Unnamed) Orkney, so it's Highland Park inside.

The Highland Park-like heather honey and peat are combined with the gorgeous sherry refill, making it delicious.

It may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I think it has a bit of a strawberry jam feel to it.

Also, I would like to pay attention to the price of 11,000 yen per bottle.

The price of whiskey has gone up a lot, but you can still buy a delicious bottle at this price, so there's still hope if you look for it.

10th: Asaka Mi label

Azumi's zodiac label is released every year, and it is the Snake, which is the zodiac sign for 2025.

It was a typical Asaka drink with banana-like, grape-like, sweet fruity, and honey-like notes.

Although it is water-added, it is single cask and aged for 7 years, so I think it is in the long-ripening category.

As I was feeling the end of the year, I was wondering if Shinko Distillery would release a wine that is already 5 years old, or 10 years old if things go wrong.

11th: Rubins Bass x Cheers Ben Nevis 1998 25 years

This is one from Rubin's Base and Kanpai Kai, two famous stores in Nagoya.

Speaking of Ben Nevis, it's from 1996, but it's from 1998, which is a similar vintage.

There are many bottles of Ben Nevis like this that have a grassy/grassy feel. .

This one was fruity and had a 1996 feel to it.

I think the passion fruit flavor and length of the aftertaste were also good.

12th bottle: Kinko Blended Malt 1979 39 years

This bottle was distilled in 1979 with Kinko's blended malt and aged for 39 years.

This is a bottle with no information about which distillery the blended malt comes from.

It had a taste typical of a long-aged blended wine with acidity, apple, black tea, tropical, astringent, slight peat, dust, and complexity.

Short-ripened Japanese and Scotch whiskeys are also delicious, but when you can experience such a complex flavor, you have no choice but to become a believer in long-ripened whiskey. .

13th: Avians Glentfirth 1996 Koval Bourbon Barrel Finish

This is a bottle released by Whisk E, and is aged in Koval (Bourbon) barrels.

It had a beautiful fruity, tropical flavor, and a bit of vanilla from the barrel.

It tastes like an honor student.

Impressions

Participating in a whiskey event had a big influence, but we only produce around 5 bottles every year, but in December 2024 we had a pretty good harvest of 13 bottles.

It costs money just to drink a good release, but if you can afford that bottle, you'll buy it, which will cost you even more money. .

I hope to continue drinking delicious whiskey at whiskey events and bar activities in January 2025, while tightening the purse strings that have loosened considerably over the year-end and New Year holidays.