Japan trip--buying suggestions?

@Spitfire The last time I was in Narita airport (this past winter) I picked up four bottle of Yoichi and Miyagikyo NAS SMW. There might be some people who would discourage you from purchasing an NAS, but I am not among them. I enjoy both, and the price in Duty Free was definitely worth it. I have kept the receipt, and hope they have not increased the price. Each bottle, was selling for 3,750 JPY, which is about 40 USD. I saw but didn't note down the Suntory products. I believed they didn't have the 12yo Yamazaki but did have 18yo, for an outrageous 50,000 JPY. I think that had a few Hibiki expressions, but I couldn't tell you exactly which ones, sorry. Again, the NAS Hibiki "Harmony: Master's Select" is (in my opinion) a decent dram. I am guessing the 17 and 21yo will be at a premium price.

Hope this helps.

Seeing that she is going in July, I will try to give you more information after June 13th. I am going to Tokyo for five days. Unless someone beats me to it, I will do what I can to give you more accurate information, availability and price.

kanpai

@ajjarrett Thanks. I appreciate your information, and especially anything current you can give me after your own trip.

I hate to be the harbinger of bad news but you are really going to have to get a bit lucky to get the age statement stuff at the airport. Prices are often higher in Japan than USA or Europe, because since Jim Murray awarded Sherry cask the whisky of the year, prices have doubled and tripled in japan. Local consumption is up and the Chinese come over and clean out the stock. I was in Japan when Jim Murray made the news. At the time I could get Yamazaki 18 for £90 (pound sterling) and Hibiki 17 for £60. Last time I was at Narita they were selling a holiday edition of Hibki 17 for £200 ($250)

Supermarkets are good to pick up Yamazaki 12 for around $80 if you go at the right time.

Research and look around: whisky specialists, supermarkets, department stores, JR gift shops & distillery gift shops. Good luck, it's tough when age statements are concerned.

Sadly there is not much interesting stuff around these days, unless you are interested in NAS whiskies. Duty free is the worst: a generally mediocre selection at inflated prices. Check out supermarkets for good prices and specialist shops for the occasional gem.

Thanks, guys. Keep in mind that I will not be there, just my wife--who really isn't interested in whisky, but she'd be willing to pick some up for me if I can give her specifics. I don't really want to ask her to look around. With that in mind, can anyone recommend any good NAS whiskies that she might find easily and would be worthwhile her bringing home?

I was fortunate enough to go to Japan at the early end of the Japanese boom and came home with an extra suitcase full of whisky. The Nikka from the Barrel was one of those bottles and did not disappoint and won't break the bank either. It was readily available back in 2013 and should hopefully still be available being that I see it on all the international retailer sites. Still hasn't made it's way to the states given the 500ml size.

@Spitfire, you can disregard my last comment, just read in another thread that you already have Nikka from the Barrel in your cabinet

@InGreatSpirits Yes, I was able to find a bottle of Nikka From The Barrel--in, of all places, the Calgary airport (not duty free; I was transferring on a domestic flight, there's a small liquor store on the concourse, and I just happened to stop in during a long stopover).

You could be either in luck or not basically. It's going to be tough to find aged whiskies if you want a decent drop. If you are going to be in Osaka then I can hook you up with the rare ones. I'm not going to rip you off either so let me know. FYI it's going to be roasting as its summer.

Yer as others have said, your probably about 3 years late in terms of begins.. The Jim Murry thing and probably more, so the NHK drama Mas-San put Japanese whisky into the minds of the general Japanese public... The big two, Suntory and Nikka products with age statmental are in fairly short supply, however brands like White Oak and Mars can be got hold of for a fraction of the price in the UK and US. The new Nikka blended 12 year old is also a pretty good price.. Ichiro malts MWR & Double distilleries are a good bet, fairly widely available too.. There is a department called Isetan which have some great private bottlings. Personally I would avoid duty free, the prices are insanity expensive..

excuse the bad punctuation and clumsy grammar above. The dam iPad 's auto correct has a mind of its own..

Okay, I just got back from Tokyo last night.

1. Aged statement whiskies are simply hard to come by, and if you do they are amazingly over-priced. Of course, this has already been mentioned.

2. Duty Free at Narita, was "okay". If you want to get Nikka NAS expressions, such as the Yoichi or Miyagikyo you will spend around 3,800 JPY, and if you go with the Coffey Grain or Coffey Malt you will pay around 5,400 JPY. (I should say, I am not one to say 'no' to the NAS whiskies and I recommend them).

3. The savings isn't much compared with Shinanoya stores, but more than the department Isetan.

4. If your wife goes to Shinjuku, I recommend her to go to the Shinanoya store in Shinjuku Kabukichou beside the large multi-plex theatre with the large Godzilla head and claw. If she is standing so she can see the Godzilla head/claw, then all she needs to go is to the small street that is locate to the right that runs parallel with the theatre and she will find the Shinanoya store.

5. At Shinanoya they do have a few other whiskies from the saller distilleries. I cannot mention all of them, but I did noticed they had a few blends from the Togouchi, included the 8 yo. They did sell the Hakushu 12yo, but that was selling for around 8,000+ JPY, which is over 80 USD.

Oh yes, you mentioned about the Hibiki 17 at the beginning of your thread.

1. At the duty free in Narita (Terminal 2, since that is the terminal I went out of ) they had the special edition bottle (very decorative) and all I can say is, it had a lot more zeros than I would want to pay. I should have taken a photo, but forgot to.

2. The Hibiki Harmony Msater's Select is now selling for 10,000 JPY, which is close to 100 USD. I enjoy this NAS expression, but I wouldn't pay 100 USD for it.

Well, I hope I helped. I am sure others will add more information.

Enter your reply here Here is a fairly comprehensive 'report'/blog entry that explains a lot of what is happening in Tokyo/Japan related to availability.

www.thejapanesewhiskyreview.com

thejapanesewhiskyreview.com/2016/06/…

Thanks, guys, for all your responses.

We've decided at this time that my wife willl probably not bother trying to find whisky for me in Japan. She'll just be bringing home sake (her drink of choice...).

Ah, well, if your wife plans to pick up the sake in duty free, she could get a bottle whisky as well. I almost forgot to mention that might be able to find Chivas Regal 12yo, which has been matured in Mizunara barrels. At least according the marketing this Chivas product is only available in Japan.

In short, she can find something easy and within a reasonable price at the airport, as long as you are happy with an NAS.

I have a friend visiting Osaka and they confirm that any age statement product is difficult to find. However, there's Hibiki 17 for 13000¥ or about $130 USD. There's a Nikka 12 for 6500¥ but I don't know which one. Autocorrect turns it into Nokia but I know it's Nikka. Lastly there's a "Yamazaki 15 pure malt cherry wood cask" for 35000¥. Again with auto correct I don't know if he meant the Yamazaki 16 Sherry cask in which case I would definitely want that. But alas MMS does not seem to work there and my friend has very little knowledge of whiskeys. Wondering if I should just ask for the "Yamazaki 15" or if someone here can guess what it might refer to.

@mrfat I'm as confused as you are but I'm 99% sure that if he can get or has the sherry cask then get it! 35,000 sounds like original sell price for the sherry cask. If you won't buy, I will. I'm very serious too. I'm in Japan!

@mrfat actually he might be meaning this japanese-whisky.com/about-whisky/… which has been in some sherry casks too. It's been going for 3 years from 2014. It can be picked up for 15,000 or so online but hard and hell to find in the shop, retail price is 10,000.

@JPwhiskysteve Turns out it wasn't even Yamazaki but rather yamazakura. So he said he'd pick me up the Nikka 12. Still don't know what that is but I guess I'll find out.

@mrfat good luck with the Yama bottle. Keep us posted.

Well, I had a nice weekend (last weekend that is) in Tokyo. While I was shopping around for some whisky I saw the Yamazakura, or at least one expression. I didn't pick up a bottle, because I already had in mind of what I wanted to get and take with me. Any new updates on how the Yamazakura noses and tastes?

Getting back to the oroginal question for "Spitfire" did you wife surprise you with a bottle of something anyway? I remember some posts back that you mentioned she might not get you anything anyway.

@ajjarrett My wife is in Japan right now. She texted me this image and asked if I'd be interested in any of these 180 ml samplers:

photoshare.shaw.ca/image/b/…

I already have a couple bottles of Nikka whisky (Pure Malt Black and Whisky from the Barrel), so I said sure, maybe pick up the Yamazaki. It's totally a guess--anyone have any insight into any of these?

@Spitfire I would try the YAMAZAKI but it's a NAS and I think if she can get one of these it's great. instagram.com/p/BHqUQoQhCe-/ As it's quite nice.

@JPwhiskysteve Thanks, Steve. I sent her the IG post...but I'm not going to worry, if she brings back anything at all I'll be happy.

@Spitfire the secret to a successful marriage...

@Nozinan 30 years and counting!

@Spitfire From what is seen in the photo, I would choose, Hakushu, then Miyagikyo, followed by the Yoichi and Yamazaki. However, as you said, whatever she picks up will make you happy. Do tell her to take a look at Duty Free. The Chivas Regal 12yo Mizunara is a fun one and is only available (at least what I ready about it) in Japan.

So, just for your info (and because ajjarrett asked), my wife arrived home a week ago; she brought me one (1) mini, 180cc, of "The Yamazaki 12 YO." Enough for me to enjoy 3 or 4 drams, but not really enough to share :-). It's nice enough, but certainly no better than the Japanese whiskies in my cabinet that I bought here (Nikka From the Barrel, Nikka Pure Malt Black).

Her major purchases were in fabric--which is surprisingly heavy and bulky when you try to pack it for flight!