Mental Oriental Malt Mission - Part 3

Tonight... I am Chris Bonnington...

A little bit of time has passed since we posted part 2 of the Caskstrength Oriental Malt Mission, but i've only just found the missing notebook with all the tasting notes in, as I was packing my suitcase for another trip.
You join me typing this final part out on the (fortunately) air conditioned tour bus for a US tour of London band, The Duke Spirit. Today, we're in Boston and the sun is blazing down, gently warming the bottle of 20 yo Longmorn I have bought along for company.

More on this later, but now to business- our last day in Tokyo and to recap, we had already found some unbelievable bars and seen some of the oddest and amusing stuff, that makes Japan so totally unique.

On our final full day in the city we had set aside some time to locate 2 particular bars in the Ginza district, recommended by all-round top fellow and whisky legend, Dave Broom.

As we'd already experienced, finding the bar you want can prove tricky, as the maps I pulled off the internet were not terribly accurate. But a little bit of running around just made us even more determined (and thirsty) to locate what promised to be one of the greatest whisky experiences of our lives.

First up was the intimate Campbelltoun Loch bar, run by the amazingly knowledgeable
Nobuyuki Nakamura.



My pulse had already shot up just walking down the concealed steps to this mecca of Japanese whisky bars and it didn’t slow down when we walked through the door.
The sight before our eyes was quite simply, breathtaking- row upon row of some of the rarest single malt I have ever seen, packed into a room no bigger than a modest terrace house Bathroom. ‘Take a deep breath, pause for a second an take it in’ I thought…. 70’s Ardbeg, Springbank, insanely old Japanese bottlings of Port Ellen, Longmorn's, the list of jems was endless- around 500 bottles give or take a rare old Macallan or 2….

So with the biggest smile on my face, I had reached the summit of my whisky adventure and what better way to celebrate than dive off, head first!!

Here are the undoubted highlights of a most memorable evening- (not withstanding the plethora of wonderful Port Ellen's we also tried, as above)..

Longmorn – 1996 – Berry Bros & Rudd bottling – Cask 56778 – 57.9% Exclusively bottled for Maison Du Whisky

Nose: Crumbled Caramac bars, soft fruits and coal notes. Delicate and fragrant.

Palate: Fruit gums, ginger spices, Hubba Bubba bubble gum, grain & malty notes, leading to loads of hazelnuts, when reduced with a little water.

Finish: The fruity notes increase as the palate dries with sharp Passion Fruit notes on the finish...

Overall: lovely opener to the evening... Ace.

After the palate cleansing lightness of the Longmorn, I noticed a well appointed collection of Lagavulin bottles- but my eye was drawn to one whose label didn’t seem to fit in- thank the lords of Islay it did…

Celtic Cross - 1990- Lochan Solan – Lagavulin bottled by Scottish Independent Distillers Ltd – 46%

Nose: Really delicate for a Laga... Caramac, mint, menthol and malt, so sweet, with subtle raisin notes in there too- Marzipan covered Tracker bar’s anyone?

Palate: Sweetness prevails, creamy toffees, ginger, soft peat, more Caramac, slight roast vegetable notes, mint, rose water... Light weight, but a fairly restrained bottling at 46 %

Finish: Oily, but more of the rosewater on the finish, def. Laga, but lighter than a younger 12 and less rich than the 16 yo.

Overall: Another cracker.

Mr Nakamura pulls out a very old bottle (60’s?) of young Springbank, which is apparently tonight’s complimentary ‘house whisky’…. Where do we go from here I ask myself… ;-o

Springbank 8 Year Old 100% Pure Malt- Bottled for the Japanese market… along time ago! – 40%

Nose: Coconut, mahogany, wine notes, slightly wet wool, lemon zest. The origins of where Springbank came from, all in one bottle.

Palate: Creamy fudge, with some lovely violet notes, heather honey, and oaty breakfast cereal.

Finish: Really rich, sweet cream, wonderful length.

Overall: Quite simply, amazing for a bottle this age. Slightly off strength but soooooo drinkable...

Onto the final dram of the evening and I invite Mr Nakamura to choose me an Ardbeg. By now, I’m so blissfully happy and content, that a 10 yo would suffice, but he goes many steps beyond this. It’s nearing my 34th Birthday (I was born in 1975) and in front of me arrives a whisky I have experienced sleepless nights over, hoping to find see the label, let alone try it...

Ardbeg 1975 - Velier Bottling - cask 4703 - Sherry Hogshead – Cask 51/240 Distilled: 26/12/75 Bottled: 26/03/2002. – 47.6%

Nose: Caramelised fruit mixed with wafts of soft, delicate ‘Swimming Pool’ peat!!! How do they make aromas like this! A bit more time in the glass brings out burnt toast, perfumed marzipan and dried fruit/ raisin-like notes from the sherry.

Palate: Sweet sherbets, heather, that wonderful lightly antiseptic peat, pepper, butterscotch, slightly brittle gingersnaps, into a granular, waxy honey note. Sip by sip, it demands your fullest attention.

Finish: As the peat dies away, dry oak resides, but in the gentlest sense.

Overall: Everything I had hoped for - and then some.

As we thank Mr Nakamura for his wonderful hospitality (something the Japanese have totally redefined) I realize it’s time to put the next plan of action into effect- a special anniversary cocktail for Mrs Caskstrength and there’s only one man to turn to… the master of mixology and owner of Ginza’s Star Bar- Kishi–San.

The Star Bar really is every bit as authentic and traditional as you could have hoped for. Beautifully tasteful leather trimmed décor give this basement bar a real air of 1930’s Manhattan chic.
Well...when in ‘Rome’ I thought, what better than to order a Manhattan? Kishi-San works his magic and before you know it, Mrs Caskstrength and I are given exquisitely mixed timeless drinks. We both just grin at each other, feeling like film stars from a bygone age of glamour and refinement.

Special thanks to Kishi and his superb bar staff for a great anniversary treat. Anyone planning to visit Tokyo MUST visit both Star Bar and Campbelltoun Loch.

As clichéd as it may sound, once you’ve experienced Japan, you’ll never quite feel the same again. It refines your sense of community, your manners and most of all, your wellbeing which I think most Europeans need a large dose of right now. A love affair has well and truly been ignited. Sayonara Japan and see you next year with any luck....

Mental Oriental Malt Mission - Part 2

Closer to Port Ellen than you think....(by Bullet Train)

So far, our time in this wonderful land has been nothing but an absolute pleasure. The food, hospitality and general good-will across Japan is truly extraordinary and I was beginning to feel right at home as we boarded our train to Kyoto, despite only knowing the scantest amount of the language. The city itself was another unexpected massage of the senses, albeit of a more spiritual kind, with some sensational temples, gardens and a hugely laid back lifestyle, which seemed to eschew the hustle and bustle of the more populated cities.



Wandering around the north east of Kyoto, reminded me a lot of San Francisco and its sunny summer haze, with long, hilly tree lined streets and row upon row of unique boutiques, selling traditional silk prints, antiques and exquisitely hand made sweets. There also just happened to be some very nicely appointed bars, which served thirst quenching, but deceptively strong Highballs (Japanese whisky, topped with soda). After several, we wobbled off to see an English band play to a packed room of very enthusiastic teenagers, setting the scene for a dash thru the Ponto Cho district and it's street musicians, whilst enjoying some excellent Shocho in the various bars along the way.



Our time in Kyoto was criminally short and it will be an almost certain return destination, especially in the Blossom season, which is undoubtedly stunning.

So onwards to our final leg of the trip and a speeding Shinkansen bullet train whisks us into the heart of Tokyo. Wow. We start to realise just how fortunate we were to acclimatise to Japanese city life in Osaka, as Tokyo is a complete blast to the senses. The huge network of train lines looks like a mass of knotted spaghetti on the map, as we stare blankly, wondering how to get to our hotel. Weird signs adorn the walls of the station and we start to feel very alien indeed....

Fortunately help is at hand and we are lucky enough to have a 'local' to guide us around for a few days. The lovely Anna (Mrs Caskstrength's old school friend) is fabulously fluent in Japanese and we soon settle in, Anna making us some refreshing green tea in our own 'ceremony', which cleanses the palate for our first evening in Shibuya.

On the way to this famously busy district, we see some wonderful statues and shrines, which sit almost anonymously next to the high rise buildings and 'Love Hotels', in a city very keen to preserve its rich heritage, whilst leading the world in technological innovation.

when we reach Shibuya and its famous crossing- this is the scene we're presented with:

How everyone makes it across, without injury, is extraordinary!

After all this people-watching we decide to have a bite to eat, which is easy, considering there are probably no fewer than 1000 restaurants in just this one area of Tokyo. My mind wanders over all the fabulous delicacies we could try- and for a moment, I wonder if i'll ever eat a roast dinner again!

Chickening out, we play it safe and go for Sashimi and Ramen, as opposed to the Fugu (Pufferfish) or the equally alarming Raw Horse:

Our next rendezvous is at the Stay Up Late bar in the Shimbashi district. Almost impossible to find, this bar is something of a revelation. Occupying the 3rd floor of an office type block, the first thing you notice is that it is remarkably small, with just 10 seats. The other thing which strikes you are the 6000 CD's behind the bar, next to a cracking array of single malts. Rock music and single malts....unquestionally the finest bedfellows since bread and butter.

We order 10 yo Laphroaig Highballs (refreshing and peaty... nice) and are given a little slip of paper to write down a power ballad of our choice, deftly selected from the wall of cd's by owner Yuji Okumura- aka the 'living jukebox'.

I plumped for Boston's 'More Than A Feeling' and we were off to a flying start.




Cue more highballs, beers, plus a very rich tasting Cask Of Yamazaki bottling from 1990 and soon we'd reached Jennifer Rush's 'The Power Of Love', via a live version Motorhead's 'Ace Of Spades'!

A businessman falls over in sheer excitement...

3 words seem to fit the bill at this point...Only In Japan.

Stay tuned for our final part, where I reach the summit of Whisky Nirvana and Mrs Caskstrength and I celebrate our wedding Anniversary in truly lavish 1930's style.