On the Rocks – Yuzu Matcha Martini and Japanese Boulevardier

Absolutely—I picked this up specifically because of the collaboration between On the Rocks, The House of Suntory, and Hidetsugu Ueno, the legendary Japanese bartender behind Tokyo’s iconic Bar High Five. This limited-edition release includes two 375ml bottles: the Yuzu Matcha Martini and the Japanese Boulevardier, priced at $41.99. Let’s dive in! The Yuzu Matcha Martini…

Akashi Japanese Whisky Highball

The 4th of July is just around the corner, and the heat is on—literally. So, when I spotted this Akashi Japanese Whisky Highball, I couldn’t resist grabbing one. If you didn’t know, the Highball is Japan’s most popular whisky cocktail, and honestly, this Akashi cocktail just makes sense. A highball is traditionally made with whisky,…

Hayashi Okinawa Japanese Whisky – Koyo, 8-Years, 18-Years and 24-Years

Last year, I was introduced to this Hayashi Okinawa Japanese Whisky while attending a Women Who Whiskey event here in Boston. During this introduction, I had the opportunity to sample their current range of four expressions: Hayashi Koyo, Hayashi 8-Years, Hayashi 18-Years and Hayashi 24-Years. For their whisky production process, Hayashi utilizes a 500-year-old technique…

KAIYō Cask Strength Japanese Whisky

Back in 2021, I wrote a post about KAIYō (Japanese for Ocean) whiskies. In that post I sampled the Signature; Cask Strength; The Single and The Peated. Of the four samples I had that day, the Cask Strength was my least favorite. You can find the info on my thoughts and about KAIYō in that…

Hatozaki Small Batch

Today we get a quick review on this Japanese whisky distilled at the Kaikyo Distillery. This distillery sits on the coast and the salty sea breezes help aid the aging process. This particular expression is vatting 100% malt whiskies aged in imported bourbon casks, imported Sherry casks and native Mizunara oak. Nose: lemon, fruit and…

Yamato Takeda Shingen Edition

This whisky is hands down the best dressed whisky. If you’ve seen this bottle at liquor stores, you can’t help but stop to stare at it. It truly is eye-catching and although we never purchased the bottle, our friend Dan did, and he was kind enough to share some with us. Aside from the bottle…

Fukano Whisky – Women Who Whiskey (wWw) Chizuru Fukano

Women Who Whiskey partnered with Fukano to create this beautiful whisky not only to celebrate its 10-year anniversary but to also celebrate Chizuru Fukano, former Managing Director of the Fukano Distillery. On Saturday, I had the privilege to sit with all these lovely ladies via Zoom to listen to Chizuru tell us her story. The…

KAIYō Whisky

Norfolk Wine and Spirits recently had a KAIYō whisky tasting and off course we were on board. For this tasting we purchased the samples and attended via zoom. The whiskies in the sample were: The Signature; Cask Strength; The Single and The Peated. KAIYō (Ocean in Japanese), is a Japanese whisky… or is it? If you…

The Matsui The Peated Single Malt Japanese Whisky

When my fiancé came in the door and said I got you a Japanese whisky and it’s peated! He immediately had my attention. Give me whisky that tastes like campfire and I’m all in. The Matsui is a whisky produced at the Kurayoshi Distillery which is at the foothills of Mt. Daisen in Japan. This…

2020 Holiday Gift Guide: Bourbon and Whisky

Wow! What a year 2020 was, and as hard as it is to believe it’s gift guide season again. After a tough year maybe you’d like to make someone’s holiday a little brighter with the gift of Whiskey. We all know our alcohol intake might have gone up just a tad, so if you will,…

Nikka Whisky From the Barrel

Happy Thanksgiving! Before you gather with a smaller group of loved ones this year, I wanted to share a dram with you all. It will just be me and my Fiancé for Thanksgiving this year; so he surprised me with this Nikka Whisky, so let’s get right into it. This blended whisky combines both malt…

Akashi Blended Whisky

Akashi White Oak is a blended Japanese whisky produced by Eigashima Shuzo Co. Ltd. The distillery is located in Akashi City and it’s not only the smallest distillery in the country, but also the oldest. It first began making sake and shochu in 1888. And although they got a license to begun distilling whisky in…