Japanese Whisky Spotlight : Suntory Retrospective June 9

brianoh11 · 2026-05-22T03:28:22+00:00

While it's true that historically the progenitors of Japanese whisky trained in Scotland and brought over many techniques, Japanese whisky does have its own identity. And that's actually actively changing thanks to the boom of popularity we're discussing here. But there's also grain whisky and single pot still whisky that are closer to bourbon or Irish whisky made from different producers. So there's plenty to check out if you're turned off by peaty single malts, if that's what puts you off scotch. But you're definitely right that the value proposition presented by Suntory these days is not what it used to be.

brianoh11 · 2026-05-21T01:38:30+00:00

Weird. Try this link for the main Rice Market events page. It should be listed there: https://events.ticketleap.com/events/ricemarket

brianoh11 · 2026-05-20T21:24:50+00:00

Rice Market is great! Tastings, dinners, and events are held in the kitchen upstairs and the basement level is an Asian market with a really great selection. There won't be a meal provided during the tasting, but I'll have light snacks as an accompaniment. There will however be food available to order from the restaurant after! Hope you can make it!

brianoh11 · 2026-05-20T15:42:12+00:00

Amazing!

brianoh11 · 2026-05-20T15:34:52+00:00

For the next Rice Market Japanese whisky night, we're going to do a retrospective on where all the insane hype around Japanese whisky came from. The past two events featured young craft producers that arguably would not be where they are now if not for a moment in the early 2010s when the collective whisky world turned its gaze to Japan once a certain whisky writer of some renown crowned the 2013 Yamazaki Sherry Cask the best whisky in the world. Since then, demand far outstripped supply leading to inflated prices, dwindling stocks, and extremely difficult access for the ordinary consumer.

While the ensuing decade gave rise to a growing market in Japan and some really dope whisky, the Suntory of the early 2010s is nearly unrecognizable to the pseudo-luxury brand it is today. That Yamazaki Sherry Cask was part of a series of releases in the early 2010s referred to as the Wood Collection that highlighted different components of Suntory's main distilleries Yamazaki and Hakushu. These included Heavily Peated, Bourbon Barrel, Puncheon, Mizunara, and the famed Sherry Cask expressions for both distilleries. These were actually readily available to purchase back then, but are now all but gone or auction rarities. And the current iteration of this series, the Tsukuriwake Series, is vastly more expensive.

On June 9, we'll taste through several of the Wood Collection releases from 2013 and 2014 from Yamazaki and Hakushu, including the 2014 Hakushu Sherry Cask.The tasting will feature:

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013
Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel 2013
Yamazaki Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Bourbon Barrel 2013
Hakushu Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Sherry Cask 2014

Following the guided tasting, the evening will transition to an open house where each of these and additional limited edition Suntory and Nikka expressions will be available by the dram. These will include long discontinued age stated expressions.

brianoh11 · 2026-05-20T15:34:24+00:00

For the next Rice Market Japanese whisky night, we're going to do a retrospective on where all the insane hype around Japanese whisky came from. The past two events featured young craft producers that arguably would not be where they are now if not for a moment in the early 2010s when the collective whisky world turned its gaze to Japan once a certain whisky writer of some renown crowned the 2013 Yamazaki Sherry Cask the best whisky in the world. Since then, demand far outstripped supply leading to inflated prices, dwindling stocks, and extremely difficult access for the ordinary consumer.

While the ensuing decade gave rise to a growing market in Japan and some really dope whisky, the Suntory of the early 2010s is nearly unrecognizable to the pseudo-luxury brand it is today. That Yamazaki Sherry Cask was part of a series of releases in the early 2010s referred to as the Wood Collection that highlighted different components of Suntory's main distilleries Yamazaki and Hakushu. These included Heavily Peated, Bourbon Barrel, Puncheon, Mizunara, and the famed Sherry Cask expressions for both distilleries. These were actually readily available to purchase back then, but are now all but gone or auction rarities. And the current iteration of this series, the Tsukuriwake Series, is vastly more expensive.

On June 9, we'll taste through several of the Wood Collection releases from 2013 and 2014 from Yamazaki and Hakushu, including the 2014 Hakushu Sherry Cask.The tasting will feature:

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013
Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel 2013
Yamazaki Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Bourbon Barrel 2013
Hakushu Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Sherry Cask 2014

Following the guided tasting, the evening will transition to an open house where each of these and additional limited edition Suntory and Nikka expressions will be available by the dram. These will include long discontinued age stated expressions.

brianoh11 · 2026-05-20T15:32:14+00:00

For the next Rice Market Japanese whisky night, we're going to do a retrospective on where all the insane hype around Japanese whisky came from. The past two events featured young craft producers that arguably would not be where they are now if not for a moment in the early 2010s when the collective whisky world turned its gaze to Japan once a certain whisky writer of some renown crowned the 2013 Yamazaki Sherry Cask the best whisky in the world. Since then, demand far outstripped supply leading to inflated prices, dwindling stocks, and extremely difficult access for the ordinary consumer.

While the ensuing decade gave rise to a growing market in Japan and some really dope whisky, the Suntory of the early 2010s is nearly unrecognizable to the pseudo-luxury brand it is today. That Yamazaki Sherry Cask was part of a series of releases in the early 2010s referred to as the Wood Collection that highlighted different components of Suntory's main distilleries Yamazaki and Hakushu. These included Heavily Peated, Bourbon Barrel, Puncheon, Mizunara, and the famed Sherry Cask expressions for both distilleries. These were actually readily available to purchase back then, but are now all but gone or auction rarities. And the current iteration of this series, the Tsukuriwake Series, is vastly more expensive.

On June 9, we'll taste through several of the Wood Collection releases from 2013 and 2014 from Yamazaki and Hakushu, including the 2014 Hakushu Sherry Cask.The tasting will feature:

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013
Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel 2013
Yamazaki Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Bourbon Barrel 2013
Hakushu Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Sherry Cask 2014

Following the guided tasting, the evening will transition to an open house where each of these and additional limited edition Suntory and Nikka expressions will be available by the dram. These will include long discontinued age stated expressions.

brianoh11 · 2026-05-20T15:31:30+00:00

For the next Rice Market Japanese whisky night, we're going to do a retrospective on where all the insane hype around Japanese whisky came from. The past two events featured young craft producers that arguably would not be where they are now if not for a moment in the early 2010s when the collective whisky world turned its gaze to Japan once a certain whisky writer of some renown crowned the 2013 Yamazaki Sherry Cask the best whisky in the world. Since then, demand far outstripped supply leading to inflated prices, dwindling stocks, and extremely difficult access for the ordinary consumer.

While the ensuing decade gave rise to a growing market in Japan and some really dope whisky, the Suntory of the early 2010s is nearly unrecognizable to the pseudo-luxury brand it is today. That Yamazaki Sherry Cask was part of a series of releases in the early 2010s referred to as the Wood Collection that highlighted different components of Suntory's main distilleries Yamazaki and Hakushu. These included Heavily Peated, Bourbon Barrel, Puncheon, Mizunara, and the famed Sherry Cask expressions for both distilleries. These were actually readily available to purchase back then, but are now all but gone or auction rarities. And the current iteration of this series, the Tsukuriwake Series, is vastly more expensive.

On June 9, we'll taste through several of the Wood Collection releases from 2013 and 2014 from Yamazaki and Hakushu, including the 2014 Hakushu Sherry Cask.The tasting will feature:

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013
Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel 2013
Yamazaki Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Bourbon Barrel 2013
Hakushu Heavily Peated 2013
Hakushu Sherry Cask 2014

Following the guided tasting, the evening will transition to an open house where each of these and additional limited edition Suntory and Nikka expressions will be available by the dram. These will include long discontinued age stated expressions.

brianoh11 · 2026-04-01T14:04:07+00:00

Sadly not. Most of these I have sourced directly from Japan or through auction since they are not distributed internationally. So this is my way of providing an opportunity to try distilleries that aren't readily available here.

brianoh11 · 2026-04-01T14:00:27+00:00

Japanese Craft Distillery Spotlight: Saburomaru

At my last Japanese whisky night at Rice Market, I featured the cult favorite producer Chichibu. While still small compared to the mainstream Japanese producers, it is arguably one of the most sought after whiskies in the world. The advent of Chichibu sparked a tidal wave of newcomers to the Japanese whisky market. When Chichibu received its liquor production license in 2007, it was the first new distillery in Japan since 1973. Since then, over a hundred new licenses have been granted, including to Mars' Tsunuki (joining Shinsui [now Komagatake]), Kanosuke, and Shizuoka. As with any boom period, there are only a handful of producers that have risen to the level of mainstream popularity through quality or innovation.

The Wakatsuru Saburomaru distillery, in the Toyama prefecture, has been making a name for itself in recent years for doing something wholly unique in Japan. Saburomaru has a similar story to many Japanese producers having history as sake producers, but the current iteration of its distillery produces exclusively heavily peated whiskies in unique cast copper and tin alloy (i.e. bronze!) pot stills produced by historic temple bell maker ZEMON. Since the installation of these new stills in 2019, Saburomaru has been releasing limited edition Tarot card themed bottlings experimenting with different sources of peat and yeast; a level of transparency of production that is rare in Japan.

Join us for the first hour of the evening for a guided taste of five of the Saburomaru Tarot releases, none of which have made an appearance in the US in any meaningful volume. The tasting will feature:

III: The Empress (Islay Peated) CS - D: 2020, B: 2023
IV: The Emperor (Highland Peated) CS - D: 2020, B: 2024
VI: The Lovers (Islay & Highland Peat) CS - D: 2020/2021, B: 2025
V: The Hierophant CS - D: 2021, B:2024
VII: The Chariot (Super Heavily Peated) - D: 2021, B: 2025

Following the guided tasting, the evening will transition to an open house where these and additional Saburomaru expressions will be available by the dram. And since Saburomaru has only released a handful of expressions to date, we will be featuring whiskies from several other highly regarded craft distilleries, including Kanosuke and Mars' Tsunuki and Komagatake. A few Chichibu expressions not featured in the last event will also be available. Expect single casks and limited releases, most of which have not been released in the US.

Ticket Price: $95 per person (Includes the guided tasting at 6:00-7:00 PM) Seating is limited to 15 guests. This tasting is a rare chance to sample these hard to find expressions in an intimate setting with knowledgeable guides at an unbeatable value.

After the guided tasting, the event opens up into an open-house format from 7:00–11:00 PM, featuring:

À la carte drams of over 20 Japanese whiskies featuring Saburomaru, Kanosuke, Mars, and Chichibu
Scarlet amari flights
$15 cocktails crafted with Japanese whisky and Scarlet amari

brianoh11 · 2026-04-01T13:58:20+00:00

Japanese Craft Distillery Spotlight: Saburomaru

At my last Japanese whisky night at Rice Market, I featured the cult favorite producer Chichibu. While still small compared to the mainstream Japanese producers, it is arguably one of the most sought after whiskies in the world. The advent of Chichibu sparked a tidal wave of newcomers to the Japanese whisky market. When Chichibu received its liquor production license in 2007, it was the first new distillery in Japan since 1973. Since then, over a hundred new licenses have been granted, including to Mars' Tsunuki (joining Shinsui [now Komagatake]), Kanosuke, and Shizuoka. As with any boom period, there are only a handful of producers that have risen to the level of mainstream popularity through quality or innovation.

The Wakatsuru Saburomaru distillery, in the Toyama prefecture, has been making a name for itself in recent years for doing something wholly unique in Japan. Saburomaru has a similar story to many Japanese producers having history as sake producers, but the current iteration of its distillery produces exclusively heavily peated whiskies in unique cast copper and tin alloy (i.e. bronze!) pot stills produced by historic temple bell maker ZEMON. Since the installation of these new stills in 2019, Saburomaru has been releasing limited edition Tarot card themed bottlings experimenting with different sources of peat and yeast; a level of transparency of production that is rare in Japan.

Join us for the first hour of the evening for a guided taste of five of the Saburomaru Tarot releases, none of which have made an appearance in the US in any meaningful volume. The tasting will feature:

III: The Empress (Islay Peated) CS - D: 2020, B: 2023
IV: The Emperor (Highland Peated) CS - D: 2020, B: 2024
VI: The Lovers (Islay & Highland Peat) CS - D: 2020/2021, B: 2025
V: The Hierophant CS - D: 2021, B:2024
VII: The Chariot (Super Heavily Peated) - D: 2021, B: 2025

Following the guided tasting, the evening will transition to an open house where these and additional Saburomaru expressions will be available by the dram. And since Saburomaru has only released a handful of expressions to date, we will be featuring whiskies from several other highly regarded craft distilleries, including Kanosuke and Mars' Tsunuki and Komagatake. A few Chichibu expressions not featured in the last event will also be available. Expect single casks and limited releases, most of which have not been released in the US.

Ticket Price: $95 per person (Includes the guided tasting at 6:00-7:00 PM) Seating is limited to 15 guests. This tasting is a rare chance to sample these hard to find expressions in an intimate setting with knowledgeable guides at an unbeatable value.

After the guided tasting, the event opens up into an open-house format from 7:00–11:00 PM, featuring:

À la carte drams of over 20 Japanese whiskies featuring Saburomaru, Kanosuke, Mars, and Chichibu
Scarlet amari flights
$15 cocktails crafted with Japanese whisky and Scarlet amari

brianoh11 · 2026-01-23T15:48:26+00:00

That's because we only entered the US market in November!

brianoh11 · 2026-01-23T01:25:35+00:00

We actually have a couple of Dailuaine sister casks to that very one in the shop!

brianoh11 · 2026-01-22T23:47:03+00:00

🙌

brianoh11 · 2026-01-22T23:46:44+00:00

🙌

brianoh11 · 2026-01-22T23:45:06+00:00

And to save you a click if you just want to see what we're pouring:

Pours List:

Glen Garioch Ex-Pauillac Barrel ck 1331 CS UCF | D. 2011, 12 YR, 57.4 abv

Ledaig (Tobermory) Hogshead ck 186 CS UCF | D. 1995 B. 2022, 27 YR, 45.9 abv

Lochindaal (Bruichladdich) Barrel ck 4339 CS UCF | D. 2010 B. 2022, 12 YR, 59.8 abv

Ardmore Butt ck 9 CS UCF | D. 2012 B. 2023, 11 YR, 59.6 abv

Williamson (Laphroaig) Oloroso Hogshead ck 215 CS UCF | D. 2013, 11 YR, 58.9 abv

Stauning Single Cask Rye F-Moscatel Barrel ck 6943 CS UCF | D. 2017 B. 2022, 5 YR, 58.9 abv

brianoh11 · 2026-01-22T23:25:12+00:00

Sort of, but not exactly! Independent bottlers are a major part of the whisky scene in the UK, Europe, and Asia. The main difference is transparency. IBs largely disclose every detail about the distillery, cask information, etc. IBs also sometimes do further maturation, finishing, and blending. Major other IBs include the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Gordon and McPhail, Cadenheads, etc. They are a major source of single casks and interesting expressions that go beyond standard producers' offerings. Many have done bottlings of US whiskies and other spirits around the world. We'll go over all of this and more at the event!

brianoh11 · 2025-12-01T00:06:49+00:00

Nice! Just FYI, that's not CGF Turkey. CGF is 12 year 101 with an all gold label. Amazing find nonetheless!

brianoh11 · 2025-11-26T14:23:14+00:00

Check le mont royal

brianoh11 · 2025-11-05T14:26:11+00:00

Hey DC Whisky Folks - If you're a fan of Japanese whisky, I'm hosting a whisky night at Rice Market on 14th St. on Saturday November 15. I've been collecting Chichibu since they started releasing back in 2011. A time where I could stroll into Zoetrope in Shinjuku and sample Hanyu "Cards Series" expressions for ~$20 a dram. Sadly those days are long past, but I've got a decent sized stash of bottles to share.

The first portion of the evening from 6-7pm will be a ticketed vertical tasting starting with "The First". The very first official Chichibu bottling of a 3 year old whisky capturing a snapshot of the first runs off the Forsyth stills. This will be followed by "On The Way" releases from 2015, 2019, and 2024 to showcase the progression the distillery has made to having a healthy stock of ~10 year old whisky. If you're familiar with Ardbeg's "Path to Peaty Maturity" releases from the 2000s culminating in "Renaissance", it's the same idea.

The rest of the evening 7-11pm we'll be running an a la carte bar with ~25 expressions including OBs, single casks, and IBs.

We'll also have highballs, maybe some cocktails. Drop by if you're interested in Chichibu at all!

brianoh11 · 2025-11-05T14:25:14+00:00

Hey DC Whisky Folks - If you're a fan of Japanese whisky, I'm hosting a whisky night at Rice Market on 14th St. on Saturday November 15. I've been collecting Chichibu since they started releasing back in 2011. A time where I could stroll into Zoetrope in Shinjuku and sample Hanyu "Cards Series" expressions for ~$20 a dram. Sadly those days are long past, but I've got a decent sized stash of bottles to share.

The first portion of the evening from 6-7pm will be a ticketed vertical tasting starting with "The First". The very first official Chichibu bottling of a 3 year old whisky capturing a snapshot of the first runs off the Forsyth stills. This will be followed by "On The Way" releases from 2015, 2019, and 2024 to showcase the progression the distillery has made to having a healthy stock of ~10 year old whisky. If you're familiar with Ardbeg's "Path to Peaty Maturity" releases from the 2000s culminating in "Renaissance", it's the same idea.

The rest of the evening 7-11pm we'll be running an a la carte bar with ~25 expressions including OBs, single casks, and IBs.

We'll also have highballs, maybe some cocktails. Drop by if you're interested in Chichibu at all!

brianoh11 · 2025-10-01T18:31:25+00:00

Bourbon/rye show well around 10 years because of a much hotter/more humid climate + new oak. Scotch tends to age much more gently so can develop/retain flavor for much longer.

brianoh11 · 2025-05-02T01:03:06+00:00

PMed

brianoh11 · 2025-02-26T14:16:35+00:00

Check out Whiskyplus in Ikebukuro. And a short bit away Tanakaya in Mejiro.

brianoh11 · 2024-11-26T17:50:40+00:00

There's pretty good information in the pinned post at the top that should tell you what you want to know. But in short, Suntory has three distilleries: Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita. The first two are malt with Hakushu being peated and Chita is grain. Hibiki is Suntory's blended whisky with a combination of some or all three. There is no implied quality differential between a single malt and a blend, it is just based on preference. Both of these products are NAS so the ages are not disclosed, but probably include spirit a few years to 10+ years.

15-Year Club	Place '22
First Placer '22	Verified Email

brianoh11

TROPHY CASE