One of the joys of a Tokyo trip is the new stuff at convenience stores. This time I stopped by convenience stores and supermarkets and bought a bit of everything.

First-night fun

The Asahi was just so-so, but the Ginga Kogen beer, which is sold in Korea too, went down smooth with no bite at all. There cannot be many ales this smooth. In a way it is not very beer-like, but I am sure there are people, myself included, who like this style. For snacks I bought cheese: Royce’s chocolate cheese dessert and QBB’s aged cheese. The chocolate cheese dessert is pretty tasty. Eat a few and you get sick of it, but one at a time it was nice. The aged cheese really tasted aged, so good I wondered whether it should be allowed at this price.

On the second day I did a bit of tasting at Liquors Hasegawa in the underground mall at Tokyo Station.

Laphroaig PX Cask

It was so sweet it did not taste like Laphroaig. Not that it was bad, but I do not really get why Laphroaig felt the need to try a sherry cask in this style.

The Armagnac recommended at Tanakaya in Mejiro

They said it was good, so I just bought it without thinking, but who knows what it will taste like.. It is not the kind of thing I drink alone at home, so I hope a chance to open it comes soon.

And from Shinanoya in Shinjuku I hauled back some drinks for the room.

BrewDog I Hardcore You, Val de Rance cider, Duchesse de Bourgogne

I Hardcore You is a beer I have always loved, and it seems to be everywhere lately. I guess they ramped up production thanks to its popularity. Duchesse de Bourgogne is sold in Korea too, but in Japan it is half the price. Being aged in wine barrels I was curious how it would taste, and it did have something of a sparkling red wine about it. The sourness is strong enough that it reminded me of dongchimi.. It is a distinctive, fun beer, but since the taste is so familiar to Koreans, I am not sure how they would take it.

The Val de Rance cider’s ingredient label

It is made from 100% apple juice, they say. Quite a lot of cider gets imported into Korea, but looking at the ingredient labels, none of it is made from apples alone. This cider was really smooth and refreshing. I loved it, but I doubt it will be easy to drink cider at this level in Korea for a while yet.

On the third day I went back to Liquors Hasegawa.

The bottles at Liquors Hasegawa

Up to last year I was only digging into single malt whisky, but now that I want to look at other spirits as well, there is really no place like Hasegawa, where you can taste before you buy.

Maker’s Mark Mint Julep

The mint aroma comes right up at you, and it felt like drinking a real mint julep cocktail. It is so sweet neat, though, that you would have to load it up with ice.

Glencadam

This is a whisky whose name has been coming up lately as one of the key malts in Ballantine’s, but it tasted a bit too smooth somehow. The official bottlings are popular but seem hard to find these days, and finding a delicious bottle really is this hard.

A 1976 Armagnac

It looked promising so I tried it, but no.. If this is what Armagnac is, there is no reason to drink it.. but since I already bought a bottle at Tanakaya, I am praying that one turns out good.

Calvados

A whisky made from apples.. and this one was a no as well. I got the feeling I do not need Calvados in my life.

The pick for the last evening
Hitachino Nest’s pink ale (the Amber Ale in its Valentine’s label)

Maybe because it was between Valentine’s Day and White Day, they were selling a pretty-looking beer, so I bought it.. but the taste was just average. I Hardcore You was the best, as always. It is supposed to be imported into Korea this year, and even though it will be expensive I will have to buy some.

Whisky samples

A shot of the samples I collected this time. I should have brought back a few more.

Ageshio

Nothing to do with alcohol.. but it is a great snack to go with drinks, so I am adding it here. Incredibly tasty, but not an easy snack to get hold of.

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