[A Great Month!!] My Favorite Whiskies of May 2025

This time, we will introduce some delicious whiskeys that we bought in May 2025 or drank at bars.

1st: Caden Head Authentic Collection Glenfarclas 1988-2013 25 years

Just like with food, there are certain flavors of whiskey that I don't like.

One of them is the Glenfarclas bourbon barrel.

Glenfarclas is often made from sherry casks.

The heavy taste of the unblended sake matches the sweetness of the sherry barrel, creating a sweet taste that covers up the brown sugar.

But bourbon barrels are a different story.

Bourbon is unable to fully support the heavy taste of unprocessed sake, and many of them end up with a sharp, woody or alcoholic impression.

However, this was different.

It tastes like wheat, honey, and ginger, and because it has been aged for many years, it also has a tropical impression.

It was the first time I found Glenfarclas in a bourbon barrel to be delicious.

2nd one: Y.A. #04

When I first drank it at a bar, I had the impression that it was something like this, but then again, I thought,Tokyo Internal Barshow2025When I drank it, it was delicious with the impression of peat and yellow sparkling fruit.

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Maybe it's time, but it seems better to drink it after a while.

I might buy it if I come across it at a store.

3rd: Chichibu Distillery II

『Tokyo Internal Barshow2025This is a single malt from Chichibu No. 2 Distillery that was unveiled for the first time at ``.

On the palate, it has an orange-ish citrus impression, with a slight tropical note in the second half, which I think is delicious.

If I come across one in a lottery or by chance at a store, I'd like to buy it.

4th: Cheers Ben Nevis 1996-2025 28 years

This is Ben Nevis, distilled in 1996, which is called a successful year.

The passion fruit comes first, followed by the peach.

It has a complex taste, with a hint of ginger and a lingering aftertaste, with hints of black tea, grapes, mint, and gum.

I think this is one of the top 96 Ben Nevis I've had.

5th: Perfect Drum Glen Alahi 1971-2010 39 years

It had a cool tropical feel from the 70's and an old bottle, with a hint of wheat and a hint of peach.

I like bourbon barrel Alahi, but there aren't many releases. .

It was my first time to have something with such specs, but it was definitely the best of all the bourbon barrels I've had so far.

6th bottle: Liquid Sun Bunahabun 1968-2011 43 years

The impression is that it has the cold tropical feel of an old bottle, a hint of black tea, vanilla, and woody notes.

As expected, something from the 1960s that has been aged for this long is delicious.

7th: Benromach OB 77

The 70's and old bottles have a cold, tropical feel, but this one had a warm, slightly cooked, fruit-like tropical feel.

It had a deep sweetness like sugar and a melon-like impression.

It was absolutely delicious.

8th: Benromach OB 07

The melon wasn't exactly tropical, but it was a solid fruit, with a charcoal-like impression that made it interesting.

Benromach is good.

The 77 I mentioned earlier is definitely more delicious, but it gives me a glimpse of the distillery, so I'm looking forward to the distillery's future as well as the old bottle.

9th: Killchoman 2006-2024 Public Bar Island 20th Anniversary

At least at the time of drinking, this is the longest aged Kilchoman in the world at 18 years.

It has a sweetness, but also a firm peat and tropical impression.

Fruit elements appear in Rough and Bowmore when aged around 18 years, but they also appear in Kilchoman.

It was the best tasting Killhoman I've ever had.

I haven't paid much attention to Killchoman, but I think I'll try a variety of them in the future.

10th: OMC Port Ellen 1979-2006 26 years

It has a long lingering finish with a cool tropical feel reminiscent of old bottles and 70's whisky, with hints of barley, shiitake mushrooms, bonito stock, and a touch of glue.

It was delicious with port ellen that had a strong taste of dashi stock.

11th: GM Longmorn 1973

Passion fruit, brown sugar, cigar, tannins, citrus, and a long finish with brown sugar.

As expected, it is a long morn that has a delicious taste and a long aftertaste.

12th: KFWS×Rudder Jura 1991 33 years

Although the overall impression is light, I think there was a melon-like tropical flavor such as cotton candy and melon to a yellowish pine-type tropical flavor, as well as an impression of sourness and a bit of tannin.

I don't have much experience with Jura, but this one I thought was delicious.

I'm thinking about whether to buy it or not. .

13th: XOP Bowmore 1997 25 years

There's a strong hint of peat and iodine, but still a distinctly tropical feel.

This is delicious.

One bottle costs 140,000 yen. .

I want to earn enough money to buy something like this.

Impressions

This month we celebrated the anniversary of a bar we often go to, so we introduced a lot of old bottles this month.

Basically, my motto is to look for good whiskey that you can buy now, current releases, so I don't drink old bottles very often.

It simply costs money. .

However, if you drink whiskey from the heyday of the 60's and 70's, I think it tastes better from that era.

There are some people who only drink wine from this era, and I can see why bottles from this era are so expensive.

However, recently there has been a movement to restore manufacturing processes that have been omitted or lost due to improvements in manufacturing efficiency such as floor malting.

Maybe because of that,Tokyo Internal Barshow2025” and at tasting events, I was able to come across some delicious bottles, and I think these current releases have a promising future and a taste that can't be beat.

Old bottles are delicious, so from now on, it's okay to just use old bottles. I had a brief moment of confusion, but I will continue to pursue delicious bottles and drink mainly current releases.

So, I'm planning on drinking a lot of different things next month.