G’day,
I’m heading to Borneo for a week of wildlife photography & videography. On Sunday the 16th July Australia time there should be a new video on my YouTube channel where I review the Yoichi Nikka Bar Restaurant Bangkok. Home page for the bar reads – Our store is a sister store of the popular long-established store “THE NIKKA BAR” in Sapporo, Hokkaido (Susukino). You can follow up on the channel here.
Kampai
Brian
G’day folks,
In todays YouTube video here, I have a Q&A with Chris Chai of 61Monarchy and Ba by 61 Monarchy, Kuala Lumpur. We chat a little bit about Chris’s background, then deep dive into the history of the bars, plus what you can expect when you visit. If you are ever in KL, do yourselves a huge favour and check out these bars. With 400+ whiskies as well other other beverages, they really are world class and a must do for any lover of fine spirits. Super nice people as well!
Addresses and drinks menu are in the description of the video.
Kampai
Brian
Hi friends,
In my latest YouTube video here, I give a quick intro to the KL whisky scene and two of Kuala Lumpurs best whisky bars, 61Monarchy and Ba by 61Monarchy. Next video will be a Q&A with 61Monarchys Chris Chai, who will tell us about his background and deep dive into the history of 61Monarchy and Ba by 61Monarchy and what you can expect whisky wise and other alcoholic beverages. The drinks menus for both bars are in the video description.
Kampai
Brian
61Monarchy https://www.facebook.com/61monarchy
Address: 61M, Jalan SS21/1A, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
PH: +60 18-213 9291
Ba by 61Monarchy co-joins the space with Sushi Kazu
https://www.facebook.com/Sushi-Kazu-100206971494454
Address: Kazu Pavillion at The 5 Lot 54303 & 54305 Jalan Gelenggang, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia PH: +60 3-2011 8211
A newcomer to the Tokyo Whisky Bar scene, Aloha Whisky Bar in Ikebukuro opened it’s doors in September 2019.
The bar is owned and operated by the affable Mr David Tsujimoto, a native of Hawaii of Japanese decent. David has lived in Tokyo for the last 6 years and in that time has collected an extremely impressive range of whiskies. Around 600 bottlings in total and if that is not enough to wet your appetite, about 250 of these are Japanese Whiskies. That number of Japanese Whiskies propels Aloha Whisky Bar straight into the Major Leagues!
The majority of the other whiskies on offer are Scottish or Bourbons but there is also whisky from Canada, Ireland, Taiwan, Hawaii, Australia, Switzerland and China.
Other alcoholic beverages include Beer, Red and White Wine, Gin, and Cognac. David also has a passion for rums so if your interested in rums, ask David for a recommedation of one of the rums at the bar. We did and it was a suberb fruit bomb!
Starting prices for half shots of no age statement Japanese Single Malt Whiskies is Y500 and Single Cask Japanese Whiskies from the likes of Chichibu Y1500.
If you are new to whisky David offers a number of tasting flights from both Scotland and Japan. A tasting flight was the starting point for my own Japanese Whisky odyssey over 10 years ago.
As David is always on the lookout for new whisky expressions, you would be certain of an exciting experience even after multiple visits to Aloha Whisky Bar.
Aloha Whisky Bar is also a non smoking venue, a boon for anyone who actually wants to nose and taste whisky not just cigarette smoke all night. The bar seats around 10-12.
The bar is currently open every day except Tuesdays from 6PM-11:30PM. I always recommend before going to any bar that you check out their Facebook page for any updates to opening hours. Directions to the bar if arriving by train are pretty straight forward. Exit C3 of the Fukutoshin(F) area of Ikebukuro Station. If you can’t find C3 ask any station staff. When you exit C3 at street level the bar is directly across the road a few meters to the left. It is on level 3 accessed by a small elevator. Picture below includes the sign for Aloha Whisky Bar.
I cannot recommend Aloha Whisky Bar highly enough and it will be one of my regulars whenever I am in Tokyo.
After our tour of Chichibu Distillery had completed I asked if our tour guide Soma could recommend a good whisky bar in Chichibu town. He recommended Bar Te – Airigh and what an awesome recommendation it was. Now Soma called the bar Bar Cherry, as did Chichibu Brand Ambassador Yumi. I tried a google search that would translate Bar Te – Airigh to Bar Cherry but I could not find one.
Walking through the door into this awesome whisky cave felt immediately like home. Fantastic laid back vibe and friendly English speaking owner Takeshi Yokota. Bottles total around 600 of all types of whisky and about 150 of those are Japanese. Now 150 bottles of Japanese Whisky is tantalizing enough, but what makes Bar Cherry stand out from the crowd is probably the best selection of Chichibu Whisky available. Roughly half the bottles of Japanese Whisky are Chichibu, with so many being limited releases including the bars own bottling.
I also found the bar great value and there is no seating charge. I had full shots of 2 Single Cask Chichibu, 1 being from a sample bottle of Chichibu that will be a bar exclusive released in a few months. Also 1 Miyagikyo Limited Release and Scotch Malt Whisky Society 119.14 Yamazaki and Scotch Malt Whisky Society 120.7 Hakushu both from Spanish Oak Bota Corta casks. My girlfriend had 3 JD mixers and we both had ham and cheese toasties and 1 x homemade baked cheese cake. Total price was about AUD$195 or US$145. If you know the prices of full bottles of the ones I tasted you will know why I think this was great value.
Takeshi san also graciously lined up the 6 2018 New Pot from the Shizuoka Distillery for me to try gratis.
It takes around 70 minutes by Limited Express train to reach Chichibu from Ikebukuro Station Tokyo and the last 30 minutes or so winds its way through some lovely Japanese country side. As we did not know what time we would return from Chichibu we bought 1 way tickets in each direction. Total cost for the train tickets was about US$22 per person. All seats on the Limited Express trains are reserved so allow yourself enough time at Ikebukuro station to purchase these. There is a Limited Express office about 20 meters from the platform that the Chichibu LE train leaves from.
Bar Cherry is about a 15 minute walk or a few minutes by taxi from Chichibu Station. The address is 8-4 Daiichi-Isida Bld, Miyakawacho, Chichibu-shi Saitama 386-0046 Japan. Ph: 0494-24-8833.
Bar opens at 5PM and the last Limited Express back from Tokyo leave at around 10.25PM from memory. Takeshi san can advise of train times. We went on a Monday. Please check with the bar prior to visiting that they will be open on that day. You can send a message via the Facebook page.
I don’t pay a lot of attention to the non Japanese Whiskies as I focus on stuff relevant to Japanese Whisky Blog, but you can get an idea of other Whiskies by checking out the Facebook page or the bars blog.
I cannot recommend Bar Te – Airigh(Bar Cherry) highly enough and it is now my favorite Whisky Bar!
Visited on a Saturday night at around 9PM. For a well stocked whisky bar strangely quite. This may have to do with the fact that it is not inside a major Tokyo hub such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza or Roppongi. From Shinjuku station it’s about a 12-15 minute taxi ride. From about 10PM to 1.30am it was just myself and another guy I met there. Good thing is that if you are in a bar like this it’s easy to meet and chat with people about whisky because no one is there by accident.
Of course I was here for Japanese Whisky like most of the bars visited on this trip. Through a Facebook message I was advised by the bar they had approximately 300 whiskies. Seemed like more. Mostly Scottish Whiskies but I would say a more than decent selection of Japanese Whiskies. Whether you are new to Japanese whisky or a veteran, there should be enough options to satisfy. As many readers would know if you are in Japan and show enthusiasm about anything to the locals they get right on board. So what you may initially see at the bar isn’t necessarily all they have. I started with a Single Cask Chichibu then a Suntory’s Owners Cask Single Cask Yamazaki from a Sherry Butt. Once I’d talked about my passion for Japanese Whisky with the bar staff all of a sudden out comes another four Owner’s Casks that were not initially on view. 
Then a couple of rare Hanyu appeared. As the Owners Casks were different styles you could probably just go for those and walk away happy. Apart from the Sherry Butt I tried a very tasty Owner’s Cask Heavily Peated Yamazaki. A budget of roughly Y10,000 will get you 3 Single Cask Japanese whiskies to try. Of course can spend more. I asked the price of one of the Hanyu in the picture below furthest to the right and it was Y6,800. 
If that’s not in the budget for a full shot and your are keen, then ask for a half shot. Definitely a recommended bar for Japanese Whisky.
Day 11 and I decided the head back to Bar Hermit Regalo. Why, because when you are on a cheap thing stick to it I say. Basically stuck with 3 of the Ichiro’s Card Series malts they have on their special price list at the moment and one that wasn’t but had always wanted to try. That 4th one was the Ace of Spades 1st release. Even at the regular price of Y2500, this to me was still good value compared to many other bars. This Ace of Spades only had an outrun or 122 bottles so there could not be too many still floating around, at least not open and available at a bar that any adult can walk into off the street. There was a second release Ace of Spades with an outrun of 300 bottles, released in 2006 and bottled at 55.7%.
Tasted:
Ichiro’s Malt Vintage 1986-2007 21YO Hogshead 58%
Ichiro’s Malt Jack of Spades 1990-2007 17YO New Wood Finish #7002 54.2%
Ichiro’s Malt Queens of Diamonds 1985-2007 French Cognac Cask Finish #9109 58.5%
Ichiro’s Malt Ace of Spades 1st Release 1985-2005 20YO Spanish Oak Sherry Butt Finish 55%
Day 12 had me tidying up my bottle purchases. Had a few pre ordered before I arrived in Japan and there was few more to buy.
So this is what I am taking home and a big shout to my family who are with me and agreed to be whisky mules giving up their own duty free allowances.
2 x Ichiro’s Malt Hanyu 2000-2012 12YO Mizunara Heads Cask for Isetan 59.2%
1 x Yamazaki Single Sherry Cask for Isetan 1998-2011 #CU 70067 61%
1 x Yamazaki Heavily Peated NAS 2013 48%
2 x Karuizawa 12YO OB Hanshin Tigers Label 40%
1 x Karuizawa Colors of 4 Seasons 1st Release 2000-2012 #5329 64.2%
2 x Karuizawa Colors of 4 Seasons 2nd Release 2000-2013 #5173 64.8%
1 x Karuizawa OB 1966 21YO 43%
1 x Karuizawa Memories 1991-2013 21YO Sherry Butt #9106 63.7%
1 x Mars Single Cask 1990-2011 21YO American White Oak #902 64.7%
Not a purchase, but I also was kindly given a 180ml bottle of Yoichi Genshu Sherry and Sweet, Single Cask, Cask Strength.
Day 13 is leaving day. Evening flight back to Australia but we have to head to the airport just after 5pm. As most dedicated whisky bars don’t open until 6pm, whisky drinking for this trip is done and dusted. Hang on, the try before you buy bar at the Isetan department store in Shinjuku opens at 2pm and they have a couple of Single Cask Japanese whiskies available to try that I haven’t tasted before. Maybe enough time to sneak in 2 more………….
Arrived back in Tokyo from Osaka. Bit tired but there is a number of whisky bars near our digs in Shinjuku so only a short walk for a quality dram. As previously reported I had been to Bar Hermit West earlier this trip. I decided to try Bar Hermit Regalo this time. I knew there was also a Bar Hermit East, but one of the bartenders informed me there is a chain of 6 bars with 4 under the Bar Hermit Banner, all owned by the same person and all located in Shinjuku.
I know that I found the West Bar good value, but to my surprise this was even better for some very rare old Ichiro’s Card Series, Ichiro’s Malt Single casks and the Ichiro’s Malt 20YO. Photo of the list of specials included with the special price in red. As you can see, not much more than the Yamazaki 10 listed on the top right corner. Price list is not inclusive of all their Card Series bottling’s they have more. Also their own range of Suntory Owners Cask bottling’s but a slightly larger range than the West bar. Owners Cask offerings are Y1300 a shot and that price has not changed in 4 years.
Tasted:
Ichiro’s Malt 5 of Hearts 2000-2008 French Oak Cognac Cask Finish 60%
Ichiro’s Malt Single Cask 2000-2005 American Oak Puncheon #6076 60%
Suntory Owners Cask for Bar Hermit Hakushu Heavily Peated 2000-2010 #EL 41499 62%
After far to many Highballs my Japanese whisky in Kansai guide Clint from Whiskies R Us, took me along to Bar Sharom Osaka. This is one of those religious experience bars. A virtual shrine to all things Nikka, my jaw dropped when I walked through the door. It wasn’t the number of bottles, though there were lots of them, it was the sheer quality and rarity of some of the stock. We only had 2 drams but it was the sort of stuff that belongs in the Pantheon of the gods of whisky. Not sure if it’s his usual practice but props to the owner for the volume of his pours which were around 45-50mls. Maybe he just felt sorry for us on spending so much on four drams. : )
Just a note that this was not one of those official Nikka bars but privately owned by a Nikka enthusiast. For directions to the bar please contact Clint from Whiskies R Us.
Tasted:
Yoichi Genshu Malt Sherry Cask #203634 25YO 54%
Yoichi Single Cask 1990-2001 10YO #223639 Warehouse No.2 62%
Recently opened in the basement level of Soho Yakitori joint Bincho, Mizuwari is a specialist Japanese whisky bar. My understanding is that they currently have about 40 different bottlings in stock. Not huge, but when you add a menu that includes a range of whisky cocktails and of course Mizuwari, enough to keep most people happy. Mizuwari sells the standard ranges from Suntory and Nikka but also gear from Karuizawa and Hanyu. The owners have also taken a leaf out of a service offered in many bars in Asia. Buy a whole bottle and they will keep it locked away for you until your next visit. Hand chipped ice balls add to the authenticity. Complimentary still water decanted into former Hibiki whisky bottles, contains strips of charcoal to create a softer mouth feel. 
Also great news, if you get the munchies after a few drinks you can order Yakitori skewers from the restaurant upstairs. At the time of writing, prices range from GBP8.50 – 24 a shot, though their own website doesn’t seem to have a comprehensive whisky menu listed yet.
This was the second time I had visited this whisky bar in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. The Whisky Bar KL stocks many a Scottish whisky of course, as well as Irish, American(Bourbon) and a small collection of Japanese whiskies. According to their website about 275 different bottling’s in total.
On our first visit we took a whisky novice from Australia we made friends with at our hotel and we opted for the Japanese whisky tasting set. A nice introduction to a few Japanese standards for someone who had never tasted Japanese whisky before.
On my second visit I was looking for something a little more exotic. After checking out their list of Japanese whiskies online I was looking forward to the following. Hakushu 25, Yamazaki 25, Yamazaki 1984 and Hibiki 30. Now, we had lined up dinner with our friends from OZ who were with us in KL at a restaurant directly across the street which I believe is owned by the same guy as the Whisky Bar. So ordered dinner and I decided to duck over to scope out the whisky offerings I had picked while we waited to be served. This is when it all got a little bit bizarre.
They had no Hibiki 30, which by the way still shows on their current website even though I was told it would be removed to reflect this. I asked about Yamazaki 25, no couldn’t have, even though there was a bottle. Yes there was a bottle of Hakushu 25, so yes, no problem and no, no 1984 Yamazaki at all. I went back to the restaurant resigned and a little disappointed at my lot.
After dinner everyone else took off to the night market and I went back over to the bar. This time with a different staff member. Yes there was a Yamazaki 1984 and I could try, yes they had the Hakushu 25 but the bottle wasn’t open and they weren’t about to for me, too expensive and what if no one else bought a dram, and yes, after I mentioned I wrote about Japanese whisky, they poured me a dram from the already open bottle of Yamazaki 25. Strange and confusing especially when I was spending almost $300 on 3 drams(had a Yama 18 as well). 
At any rate the fact is they do have some Japanese whisky in stock. There is also a few not shown on the online menu such as Nikka Pure Malt White, All Malt, Taketsuru 12, Yoichi 12 and 20. So if you live in Kuala Lumpur and have never tried Japanese Whisky, or, are passing through KL and hankering for a dram, this really is the only game in town. Just be prepared from some weird interactions with the staff.
*This report from a visit in November 2012.
Whenever I travel OS I am always looking for a whisky bar. Sometimes it takes a bit of perserverance and sometimes that doesn’t pay off because there may not be one at all. Just so happens that my research paid off for when we travelled to Taipei in April 2012. On that occasion this is the one we found, MOD. 
So what does MOD offer. About 150 whiskies, mostly Scottish, a few Kavalan as we were in the Motherland of that distillery, and as luck would have it about 10 Japanese whiskies. I tried a couple of the standard(non single cask) Kavalan and a few Japanese whiskies. One of the Japanese whiskies was a Taradeshi Genshu Yamazaki, in other words a sold only at the distillery bottle, which was a nice treat. My partner Nicole is not a whisky drinker, but this place has beer, cocktails, other spirits and more on the menu. Just so happens that one of the mixologist’s at MOD was experimenting with a few cocktails as he was entered into the local heats of an Asia wide Bar Tenders contest. I gave him a few guidelines and he whipped up a fantastic concoction with Hibiki 12 as the base. 
It was a knockout and for all the purists out there, no, not a waste of good whisky at all.
In summary, staff were nice, prices reasonable, a good selection of whiskies and the place had a great laid back vibe. Only problem, our taxi driver had a devil of a time finding the place. Worth it in the end.
Last month I wrote a report on the other best place in the world to try Japanese whisky, The Auld Alliance Singapore. In that post I reported that Director Emmanuel Dron was actively looking to expand the range and number of Japanese whisky’s offered at the bar. Well that activity has already born fruit with another 40 bottles of Japanese whisky now gracing the walls of the bar. By my calculations, of the total number of whisky’s on ‘display’, about 18% are now Japanese. Considering that total amount equals around 1000 whiskies, that’s a whole lot of Japanese whisky to try. 
Certainly worth a pilgrimage for anyone who lives in Asia and a must visit for any Japanese whisky enthusiast passing through Singapore for a few days or even a night as the Auld Alliance is an easy 5-10 minute taxi ride for most hotels in Singapore. Great to see the likes of Akashi, Mars, Waketsuru and Chita now added to the list of offerings. Enjoy some mouth water photo’s.
Last weekend I made my second visit to The Auld Alliance Singapore, one of the greatest whisky bars in the world and of even greater significance to Japanese whisky fans, one of the 2 best places in the world to try Japanese whisky.
Celebrating it’s second anniversary, The Auld Alliance is the dream become reality of Director/Manager Emmanuel Dron. Previous to opening The Auld Alliance, Emmanuel worked in other areas of the whisky biz for around 15 years. More about Emmanuel further down the post but for the moment I’ll comment a little more on the bar itself.
The Auld Alliance is located at Chijmes, a restored historic building housing bars and restaurants situated diagonally across the street from Raffles Hotel. Visually The Auld Alliance is stunning. The site of over 1000 whiskies beautifully laid out behind a classic style of bar is quite something to behold . There is a separate lounge area to the left of the bar with Chesterfields to relax in, more rare bottles to ogle at and a small library of whiskey books. To the right of the bar is another area housing two private enclosed rooms for those who wish to enjoy their whisky with a select group of family or friends. Also handy for those who enjoy a fine cigar with their whisky as these are also dedicated smoking areas.
So plenty available for most whisky fans, but what if you have tried over a thousand whiskies already? No need to worry, Emmanuel is constantly seeking out rare bottlings to add to, or, replace the ones already stocked. For instance, there was at least 5 new Karuizawa’s available since my last visit 7 months ago. So, lets focus on the Japanese ‘stuff’ available to try. Normally there at least 140 bottlings. Lots of Karuizawa, Ichiro’s Malt Cards, Single Cask Yoichi, Miyagikyo, Yamazaki and Hakushu as well as a number of ‘standards’. 
New stock on it’s way will include offerings from Akashi, Waketsuru and Mars Shinshu. More good news is that we’ll also be seeing more Japan only releases stocked in the future such as the Suntory Owners Cask series and other rarities. Obviously some of the bottlings can cost a bit for a dram, but The Auld Alliance offers half shots to help keep the cost down and least give you the opportunity to try a couple for those on a budget. Going with a friends or family who don’t drink whisky? The Auld Alliance also offers rum, wine, champagne, beer, cocktails and more.
So, back to Emmanuel Dron the Director/Manager of The Auld Alliance. You could not find a more affable, knowledgeable host. Emmanuel is never static. You will seeing him constantly checking on patrons as to their well being, answering questions and offering advice. As a man of egalitarian tastes, Emmanuel is just as likely to recommend an Irish whiskey, a real passion of his, or Japanese whisky. This open minded, unbiased approach, is extremely refreshing. Having had the opportunity to chat with Emmanuel on a few occasions now, I can say that he is a true whisky enthusiast, not just a business man making a living from whisky.
So, if you are going to Singapore and you have even a passing interest in whiskey or a student of history, The Auld Alliance is a must visit.