I ended up walking into Bottle Bunker completely by chance. The ground floor of the Lotte Mart in Jamsil used to be full of odds-and-ends shops, and the whole thing had been redone.

Wine vending machines

I’d seen these overseas, and now they’ve finally landed in Korea.

Korean liquors

I hadn’t realized there were this many kinds.

A restaurant specializing in burrata cheese

Fun concept.

Diageo Special Releases 2022

Plenty of good whisky here.

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Johnnie Walker, always good value, was there too…

Glasses…

Tonic water and snacks…

A sight like this is completely ordinary abroad, but I think it’s a first in Korea.

Lisa…

So a Lisa signature bottle had come out.

A bottle shaped like a gramophone

Press the black ball next to it and you can smell the whisky — that’s what the contraption is for. Nice idea.

Lagavulin and Talisker

Peaty whiskies really do have a strong aroma.

Singleton, Talisker and more…

Honestly, given Korea’s liquor tax, everything here costs more than double what you’d pay abroad, and yet I never expected a space like this to be built. Which means… Korean buying power must be more than double what it is overseas. Bread is expensive and whisky is expensive, but right now Korea holds its own against anywhere else. I hope this isn’t Korea’s peak.

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