Every time I go to Japan, I have a long list of things people have asked me to buy. Anything sold online I order ahead and have delivered, but there are quite a few things that have to be bought locally, and since the places that sell them are scattered all over Tokyo, I have to plan my route carefully. On a short trip of three nights and four days, one small planning mistake and the whole trip can end up being nothing but errand shopping. Luckily I have years of shopping know-how, so I can squeeze in a few places I want to visit in between picking up the things I have been asked for. I like to think it is a skill not just anyone can copy, though I am not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.
Anyway, Liquors Hasegawa, about halfway between Nihonbashi and Tokyo Station, sits right on my route, so I end up going there often. You can do paid tastings and check out newly released whiskies, so on my last trip I think I visited about three times. Sadly, this time I only made it once. Faced with a huge number of whiskies available to taste, these are the two bottles I picked. You can taste up to five a day, but doing that feels a bit shameless. And there are other shops to get to besides this one.
The Macallan Ruby
This is the top of the 1824 Series, which Macallan recently released as an experiment without age statements. The 1824 Series goes Gold, Amber, Sienna, Ruby in that order, and as the names suggest, the colour gets deeper as you go up. One look at Ruby’s deep colour tells you it has been well matured in sherry casks.
I had been wondering what it would taste like even before going to Japan, and when I finally tried it, it tasted of rich, elegant dark chocolate. Like most sherry casks it is sweet and smooth, an easy-drinking, easy-to-understand whisky for anyone. Add that elegance on top and it is exactly my kind of style. Some whisky enthusiasts say that for the price it lacks the finish that long-aged premium whiskies have, but honestly I do not see why finish matters so much in a whisky. If you want to enjoy a finish, would wine or cognac not be better than whisky? Besides, Macallan has always been pricier than whiskies of the same class.
I would not say it has a clear edge over other whiskies of a similar rank – Yamazaki 18, for example – but it is without doubt a very charming whisky. I found myself wanting to keep a bottle around regularly. Though if it does not sell well it might get discontinued, so I had better stock up early.
Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask
Kavalan is a Taiwanese whisky that has been on the rise lately. It is also known by the name King Car. A whisky not from Japan but from Taiwan getting such glowing reviews, I was curious how it tasted, and it turned out Hasegawa sells it. Unlike Macallan, which is the very definition of sherry oak, this one had a sharp peaty note coming through inside the rich sherry aroma. A very interesting drink. I could see why it is so well regarded around the world. The price, though, is just too steep.. For that money you could buy a Yamazaki 18, or about two bottles of Glendronach, and is it that much better? Not quite.. Still, for the sake of experience it is worth trying at least once, I think.
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