A tribute to the province that has been Matsui distillery’s home since 1910. The Tottori range is composed of several Japanese whiskies. The use of the clean and fresh water from Tottori natural streams is key to the process. The Tottori Blended Whisky expresses Matsui’s 100+ years expertise in the art of aging and blending spirits. Aged 3 years in toasted oak. For a more authentic, pure and unique taste it has not been chill-filtered. Elegant, balanced with ripe fruit, hint of spices coming from the oak. Rich, floral & complex with spices, vanilla and chocolate. Refined finish.

The Coffey Still is the worlds first patented continuous still invented by Mr. Aeneas Coffey in 1830. Masataka Taketsuru valued the feature of this type of still, which retains the flavours of ingredients and also creates a distinctive texture. Complex, sweet and mellow flavours in Nikka Coffey invites you back to beauties of grain whisky.

"One for no age statement naysayers... Eloquent & beautiful." - whiskyadvocate.com Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses. Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell. Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods. Stefan Van Eycken, writing for www.nonjatta.com explains "...there were years, at both Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery, when the barrels laid down for maturation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The ‘stock shortage’ is not an excuse or a PR stunt – it’s very real. Sources within Nikka have said that it is ‘likely’ that age-statement single malts will be brought back in 5 or 6 years’ time. No official statement to that effect has been made for the simple reason that doing so – in Japan – would be interpreted as a promise (which could come back to haunt them in 6 years’ time)." The dropping of age statements doesn't always translate into a drop in quality. Early reviews for both releases have been very positive. Evidently, Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma has risen to the challenge of creating a great assemblage from a restricted inventory.

Lots of very warm reviews on the blogoshere for this no-age-statement expression of Nikka which reportedly over-delivers for an entry level whisky. Named after the company's founder, Masataka Taketsuru, and aged on average for around 10 years, it includes whiskies from the Miyagikyo & Yoichi distilleries, including malt matured in Sherry casks.

Distilled from sugar cane honey, aged and matured in a complex Solera of batches of Rum aged between 6 and 23 years old in various styles of old oak barrels. This spirit has intensity, volume of flavour and an attractive, mellow flavour that makes this the ultimate Rum experience.

Nikka has always been at the crossroads of cultures, between the East and the West, Nature and Human, Tradition and Innovation. Each day is a new journey which continuously learn from previous ones. Nikka Days, the latest creation of the brand, is a shining example of this state of mind. A subtle blend of grain and malt whiskies. Creamy and smooth, fruity and floral, this whisky will please amateurs and connoisseurs.

Meaning beauty in japanese, Bi is one of Houraisen's flagship sake's. It is a very elegant style of the highest grade of sake, Junmai Daiginjo. Tank matured for 10 months at 10 degrees in order to have a rounder and more mellow character, it has a nose that indicates sweet fruits with the palate showing good balance between the gentle acidity and the sweet fruit flavours.

Yamazakura Fine Blended Whisky 40% 700mlDistillery: Sasanokawa Shuzo Co. Asaka Distillery ABV: 40% Tasting notes:Orange blossoms on the nose, followed by oak, caramel, and fresh orchard fruit on the palate. Bringing serene balance and depth, this is a bottle from Japans new generation distilleries.Yamazakura - Sasanokawa Shuzo Co. chose the name Yamazakura to launch the distillerys premium whisky range because it is a combination of two important Japanese symbols in culture and society: Yama is the Japanese term for mountain, signifying the strength and poise of the spirit, while Sakura refers to cherry-trees, to relate the ephemeral beauty of the stunning blossom to the quality and sophistication of the whisky.About the Distillery:Sasanokawa Shuzos sake and shochu making dates back all the way to 1710. However, almost 200 years later, they decided to dive into the whisky making market in 1946 thus setting up Asaka Distillery. Their quality was able to stand toe to toe with large rivals like Nikka and Suntory in the northeast region of Japan. Most importantly, Sasanokawa Shuzo were also the ones who famously helped Ichiro Akuto (Ichiros Malt / Hanyu Distillery) save his whisky stocks and allowing him to build the Ichiros Malt brand. The distillerys mash tun and 5 washbacks are all stainless steel. Unlike other Japanese whisky distilleries using imported Forsyths stills, Asaka went with two copper pot stills made right here in Japan by Miyake Seisakusho. The wash still is 2000L, and spirit still 1000L, both using percolators for heating. The whisky is mostly non-peated and will be rested in primarily bourbon casks but also some sherry and wine casks.It's worth noting that the Chichibu Distillery and the Asaka Distillery have a relationship. Ichiro Akuto-san asked Sasanokawa Shuzo to store the leftover casks of the defunct Hanyu Distillery until he could get Chichibu up and running. So basically, Chichibu owes Asaka a favor! Ichiro Akuto-san brought back most of the casks and released his now highly sought after first release, the Ichiros Malt Series (otherwise known as the card series!). In fact, the Sasakanokawa Shuzo facility still has Hanyu casks in storage!

In 1950, Chivas Brothers began the search for a secure supply of exceptional malt whisky. Strathisla Distillery in Keith, the oldest and most beautiful distillery in the Highlands, was the obvious choice. From that day to this, the world-famous Strathisla Single Malt Scotch whisky became the foundation of the Chivas blend. The international reputation of Chivas Regal has been built upon this distillery and the skill of successive generations of Master Blenders. Legally, a blended Scotch whisky must contain both single malt Scotch whiskies and single grain Scotch whiskies. Chivas Regal 12 and 18 year old whiskies are blended using a special process called triple blending. First of all, the selected single malts are blended together. The second stage sees the selected single grains blended together, and then thirdly, the vatted malts and the vatted grains are brought together. These spirits are each married in selected oak casks for an extended period of maturation in order to produce an exceptionally smooth, rich whisky. 'The smooth taste of Chivas Regal 18 Year Old reflects the traditional style of blended Scotch whiskies with a powerful array of rich, fruity aromas, and a defined smokiness that develops into a long and memorable finish.' So says Colin Scott , Master Blender of Chivas. Colin hand-picks each whisky designated for Chivas Regal 18 Year Old from the distilleries most precious stock - including certain whiskies that are now exceedingly rare. Winner of three major awards, each bottle of Chivas Regal 18 Year Old bears its own unique serial number, sourcing it back to the one particular triple blending. And because only selected casks are matured to such a great age, the quantity of Chivas 18 Year Old produced every year is always strictly limited. Tasting notes: Brassy gold appearance. Bubblegum / marshmallow opening is a little bourbonesque. Second pass reveals vanilla and biscuity malt with a judicious slather of peat. The palate combines a silky mouthfeel with solid concentration - nothing like the comparatively beige 12 Year Old - delicate spices, biscuity, honeyed grains with hints of dried fruits. The finish is crisp with a lingering confectionary note. 40% Alc./Vol.

White Oak Distillery have released two new limited editions for 2020 to celebrate the 101st anniversary of their licence to distill. It's not the first time the distillery has highlighted the fact that they were licensed before Kotobukiya (Suntory) and Nikka. However they didn't actually build Japan's first whisky distillery. That was left to Yamazaki. White Oaks new blend and single malt are both sherry matured and named after the parent company. Suitably, the presentation is reminiscent of a century ago, featuring the old Eigashima logo and trademark. The blend is made from 100% UK malt and grain whiskies, finished in sherry casks and bottled at 50% Alc./Vol. Located in the city of Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture, west of Kobe, the White Oak distillery was founded by Eigashima Shuzo - a Sake and Shochu producer since 1888. Despite an early license to manufacture whisky, it was only when the company moved to their current facilities in 1984 that White Oak Distillery was born. The stills here are in operation for just a few month’s of the year, so production is minuscule. Since 2017 Eigashima ceased making Shochu to re-focus their energy into making whisky. They're now working six days a week from April through to July in order to maximise output. Currently there are around 1200 casks ageing at White Oak, the oldest stocks being around eight years old. Most of the maturation is done in first fill Bourbon casks (ex Wild Turkey) and new Sherry casks. However, the warehouse holds everything from refill American to re-charred Shochu casks, Cognac casks, Tequila Casks and even some very special locally coopered casks made from Konara - often reserved for ageing Shochu.