- Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025
- Participation fee
- Introduction of brands sampled
- Seminar: Stall Bar Do-chan
- 1st cup: Rudder Ben Nevis 28 Years #1579 Private Stock
- 2nd cup: Rudder Ben Nevis 1996 28 #1578 THE ABUSOLUTE CHOICE
- 3rd cup: Ben Nevis 1996 27 years for Abyss x AQUA VITAE x SHINANOYA #1428
- 4th cup: Ben Nevis 1998 24 years for Abyss x AQUA VITAE x SHINANOYA #1483
- 5th Cup: Asaya Shoten x Tofu Calila 2008 17 Year Single Cask Japan 5th Anniversary
- 6th cup: Kyoto Western Liquor Research Institute Spring Bank 95 11 years old
- 7th Cup: Cheers Clynelish 1996-2025 28 Year Refill Bourbon Hogshead
- 8th Cup: Cheers Springbank 1999-2025 25 Year Refill Hogshead
- 9th Cup: Cheers Laphroaig 1991-2025 33 years
- 10th cup: Tsunuki constituent whiskey chocolate malt
- 11th cup: Chichibu Distillery II
- 12th glass: Chichibu Distillery 1 Refill Hogshead 13 years old
- 13th glass: Chichibu Distillery 1 Heavily Peated 10 Years
- 14th Cup: Glendronach Hand Fill 1993
- Seminar: Adelphi & Ardnam Luckan
- 15th cup: Shindo Distillery FIRST RELEASE
- 16th cup: Igawa Distillery Drawing Series Fauna 2025
- 17th Cup: Cragganmore 1985-2023 38 Year Refill Hogshead for Wu Dram Clan
- 18th cup: Kanosuke Constituent whiskey peated
- 19th glass: Umaoi Distillery Zenzerovino!
- 20th Cup: Coolie 20 Years 2002 Miaojiam Four Seasons
- 21st Cup: Shinanoya Unnamed Orkney 2005 16
- Impressions
- Closing Thoughts
- YouTube
Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025
The event was held on Sunday, June 8, 2025.Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025”, so I would like to introduce what happened at that time.
The event was held at Marine Messe Fukuoka B from 11:45 to 18:00.
Participation fee
The venue, Marine Messe Fukuoka B, is large enough to be used as a live venue, so I don't think tickets will sell out.
However, there will be no tickets sold on the day, so advance tickets must be purchased.
It seems that you can purchase it until around 10:00 AM on the day of the event, but I think it would be best to purchase it as soon as it is convenient for you to participate.
Introduction of brands sampled
Now, I would like to introduce all the brands that I sampled this time.
Seminar: Stall Bar Do-chan
The first thing I do after entering is take a seminar in Niigata Kameda.
There are seminars held in conference rooms, but what makes Whiskey Talk unique is the seminars held at food stalls.
Since it's a food stall, you usually drink it straight at seminars, but you can also get highballs and small snacks.
Also, since I was close to the lecturers, I was able to listen to a lot of things very frankly, and it was a really fun time.
After the seminar, tasting will begin.
1st cup: Rudder Ben Nevis 28 Years #1579 Private Stock
*Image left: black label
2025 is said to be a successful year, with many releases of Ben Nevis distilled in 1996.
First up is Rudder's Private Stock.
I feel the apricot in the front, and I think there's a woody to melon-like nuance.
Overall, it's fruity, but I get the impression that tastes are divided depending on how you perceive the woodiness.
2nd cup: Rudder Ben Nevis 1996 28 #1578 THE ABUSOLUTE CHOICE
*Image left: white label
Next up is 96 Nevis from Rudder's THE ABUSOLUTE CHOICE.
I can feel the peach and apricot, but the texture is weak and pale, and the flavor becomes more pronounced on the finish.
This one has a more fruity impression, but it's not a very fruity fruit juice, so to put it negatively, it's a bit lacking.
3rd cup: Ben Nevis 1996 27 years for Abyss x AQUA VITAE x SHINANOYA #1428
*Image left
This time it's Shinanoya's 96 Nevis.
Out of these three, I felt the fruit was the strongest, giving the impression of full peach and apricot.
I heard that the bottle had just been opened when I tried it, so I ordered this in the hopes that it would open soon.
I don't own any 96 Nevis, and it seems like 30 years have passed, so I don't know if there will be a next release.
Even if it were released, I think the price would be quite high, so I would like to secure one at this stage.
4th cup: Ben Nevis 1998 24 years for Abyss x AQUA VITAE x SHINANOYA #1483
*Image right
This time it's 98 Nevis.
It's fruity, but I don't get the impression that it goes beyond specific fruits such as peaches or apricots.
It gives the impression that Nevis is in a different direction than 96, and 98 is said to have a glassy feel, but I think it's good in the sense that it doesn't feel glassy.
This one has also just been opened, so I guess it takes a while.
5th Cup: Asaya Shoten x Tofu Calila 2008 17 Year Single Cask Japan 5th Anniversary
Milton Duff was released last year as well, but Calilla was selected by Asaya Shoten and Tofu from Single Cask.
The taste is exactly as the label says every time, with pine, melon, barley, salt and peat, and a long fruity finish.
This is a really delicious calilla.
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 to pay around 34,000 yen, but I think it's cheap at about 22,000 yen.
I highly recommend you buy or try this.
6th cup: Kyoto Western Liquor Research Institute Spring Bank 95 11 years old
I'm thankful for Kyoto Western Sake Research Institute, where I can get a variety of products at low prices every time.
I took 95 Bank for the time being.
You can feel the brown sugar, fruit, and bank-like saltiness.
I'd like to get a bottle of this type, but I guess it won't be possible until the whiskey boom calms down a bit before I can get a bank. .
7th Cup: Cheers Clynelish 1996-2025 28 Year Refill Bourbon Hogshead
This is a bottle from the popular Cheers Party.
I think it's fruity, with a hint of sweetness and passion fruit.
I can't help but feel that it has a slight Clynelish feel, but it gave me the impression of a long-aged Speyside.
8th Cup: Cheers Springbank 1999-2025 25 Year Refill Hogshead
It has a salty, bank-like feel to it, but while I don't find it sarcastic or negative, I didn't get the impression that it was very good.
9th Cup: Cheers Laphroaig 1991-2025 33 years
It's delicious with the crisp yellow fruits and peat strength remaining.
However, the bottleneck is that each bottle costs 140,000 yen. .
It was a book that made me think that I had to earn enough money to buy something like this.
10th cup: Tsunuki constituent whiskey chocolate malt
This is a glass of Oloroso sherry made with chocolate malt, which is malt roasted at extremely high temperatures.
I got the impression of sherry, barley, and baked chocolate.
This is delicious.
11th cup: Chichibu Distillery II
*Image left
Since I couldn't buy it, I had no choice but to drink it at events. .
Single malt from the second distillery was released for the first time at the 2024 Chichibu Whiskey Festival, and as I thought at that time, the second distillery is definitely delicious.
12th glass: Chichibu Distillery 1 Refill Hogshead 13 years old
*Image center
I can feel the banana and fruit, but I also got a slightly woody impression, and I also got the impression that it was a little overripe.
13th glass: Chichibu Distillery 1 Heavily Peated 10 Years
*Image right
It had a cider-like impression with the fruitiness of Chichibu and the refreshing feeling of peat.
14th Cup: Glendronach Hand Fill 1993
It was a delicious dronak with brown sugar, raisins, and sourness.
Being able to drink this for 2,000 yen is unique to events.
Seminar: Adelphi & Ardnam Luckan
Now that the time has come, I will take a seminar on Adelphi & Ardnam Luckan.
It was great to hear the stories, but the only brands I could taste were official ones.
I wanted at least one type of constituent unblended sake, or rather a single cask one. .
The seminar itself is free, so this may be a greedy opinion. .
15th cup: Shindo Distillery FIRST RELEASE
After the seminar, there will be a little more time for tasting, so I plan to drink as much as I can.
This is the first release of Shindo Distilled Sake's single malt.
You can feel the banana, honey, and sweetness all over the place.
It has a bit of a New Potty feel to it, but it seems like they're aiming for sweetness, so I think we can look forward to it in the future.
16th cup: Igawa Distillery Drawing Series Fauna 2025
It has a peat and sweetness, and I think it has some elements of New Potty.
I have a good impression that it is Igawa's single cask, or it is a constituent unblended sake including Newborn.
However, even though it was a first release, I get the impression that it has a new potty feel when vatted. .
17th Cup: Cragganmore 1985-2023 38 Year Refill Hogshead for Wu Dram Clan
Cragganmore was released last year, but I missed it. .
Since I was able to meet you here, I can't help but drink.
It has the impression of pineapple juice, but it has a different level of deliciousness that anyone can enjoy.
One bottle of this by the way costs about 380,000 yen. .
18th cup: Kanosuke Constituent whiskey peated
I could feel the peat, but it had a kelp flavor that I don't like.
Kanosuke is 80-90% delicious, but sometimes I can taste the kelp. .
19th glass: Umaoi Distillery Zenzerovino!
It's ginger wine.
It is an alcoholic beverage made by soaking ginger and other ingredients in white wine.
It has a strong hint of ginger and a sweetness, so when you mix it with soda, it gives off a ginger ale-like impression, making it perfect for summer.
Personally, I'm looking for a drink to pair with spicy curry or tacos, and this seems like a good candidate.
So, I think I'll try buying it next time.
Many of the gins and liqueurs produced by Maoi Distillery are delicious.
20th Cup: Coolie 20 Years 2002 Miaojiam Four Seasons
Coolie is said to be a hit year in 2002.
It gives off a sweet, tropical, and gum-like impression.
A bottle costs 60,000 yen, but since it's free, I drink it every time.
21st Cup: Shinanoya Unnamed Orkney 2005 16
This is Unnamed Orkney released by Shinanoya.
It's Highland Park inside.
The impression is that it is sweet and hyper with peat and heather honey.
If you can buy a 16-year-aged single cask cask strength hyper for just over 10,000 yen, I think it's a great deal.
Impressions
I participated in Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2025.
The lineup of booths is well-balanced, with everything from official Japanese whiskey and Scotch to bottlers, bar booths, and food and drink booths, so you can stay in one venue all morning.
This year, there was a good lineup of releases from various companies that coincided with Whiskey Talk, and I was able to sample them and purchase what I liked, so I think it was a very satisfying event.
Also, the venue is quite large, so although there were some booths where there was a line, I was able to spend a comfortable time without any difficult places to pass.
Closing Thoughts
It's a really great event, and Fukuoka is fun as a trip, so I hope to be able to participate again next year.
Every year in January “Whiskey Lovers Nagoya', February's 'Chichibu Whiskey Festival', June's 'Whiskey Talk Fukuoka” I am planning to participate no matter what.
I also plan to participate in other events held in the Tokyo/Kanto area, so my next participation will probably be in September.Hachioji Whiskey Street” I think it will be.
If you are interested in participating, please do so.
YouTube
