This time, I will introduce some delicious whiskeys that I bought or drank at bars in June 2025.
- 1st bottle: Asaya Shoten x Tofu Calila 2008 17 Years Single Cask Japan 5th Anniversary
- 2nd bottle: Ben Nevis 1996 27 years for Abyss x AQUA VITAE x SHINANOYA #1428
- 3rd bottle: Toast Party Laphroaig 1991-2025 33 years
- 4th: Cragganmore 1985-2023 38 years Refill Hogshead for Wu Dram Clan
- 5th: Islay (LA) 34 yo 1990-2025 51.7% Signatory Vintage for Wu Dram Clan
- Impressions
1st bottle: Asaya Shoten x Tofu Calila 2008 17 Years Single Cask Japan 5th Anniversary
『Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025", I was able to sample it in advance, so I decided to try it.
The taste is exactly as the label suggests, with pine, melon, barley, salt and peat, with a long fruity finish.
The calilla was so delicious that I ordered it right away.
Recently, Islay-type wine has become more expensive, and I think the average price is 2000 yen multiplied by the age of the wine.
It's aged for 17 years, so it wouldn't be strange for it to cost around 34,000 yen, but I think it's cheap and attractive at around 22,000 yen.
2nd bottle: Ben Nevis 1996 27 years for Abyss x AQUA VITAE x SHINANOYA #1428
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2025 is being called a hit year by many sources, with many releases of Ben Nevis distilled in 1996.
『Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025" also has three bottles that you can drink, order, or apply for a lottery, and this is the bottle that I think is the best.
I get the impression that it's full of peach and apricot, and I think it's the most fruity flavor, typical of 96 Ben Nevis.
I was told that I could order it, so I placed an order.
3rd bottle: Toast Party Laphroaig 1991-2025 33 years
I can feel the crackling yellow fruit.
The peat and iodine in the Islay type will settle down after about 20 years, but this one retains a lot of peat and iodine, giving it a typical Islay feel.
The bottle price is 140,000 yen, but I would like to earn enough to buy a bottle like this.
4th: Cragganmore 1985-2023 38 years Refill Hogshead for Wu Dram Clan
Cragganmore was released last year in 2024, but I missed drinking it when it was released. .
『Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025”, so I had no choice but to drink it.
It gave the impression of pineapple juice, but it had a different level of deliciousness that anyone would enjoy drinking.
By the way, each bottle of this is 380,000 yen, so the price is on another level. .
5th: Islay (LA) 34 yo 1990-2025 51.7% Signatory Vintage for Wu Dram Clan
Although it is labeled as Secret Islay, the contents are Laphroaig as you can see from the LA description.
This also has a taste reminiscent of a ripe pineapple, which is one step further from a sparkling yellow fruit.
You can also feel cream and vanilla, and the strength of peat and iodine remains in the aftertaste.
Each bottle costs 100,000 yen, but it has a flavor that makes you feel glad you bought it.
Every year, I choose the releases that were good in the first half of the year and the releases that were good in the second half, but this was one that I thought was thrown in at the last minute of the first half of the year.
Impressions
In June 2025, I participated in "Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025", so I mainly introduced the bottles I drank at the event.
That's why there were so many events.
Although the number of bottles was small, my impression this month was that these bottles were delicious, or rather, many of them were outstandingly delicious.
The price is one or two levels higher than that. .
There are many releases of long-aged bottles that are over 20 years old or 30 years old, and each bottle costs 60,000 to 100,000 yen.
Even if you drink them at a bar, a half shot costs more than 3,000 to 5,000 yen (bottle price ÷ 20), so you can spend a lot of money just drinking them. .
I'd like to keep up with the latest releases that seem to be getting a lot of attention.
