＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:https://skawa68.com/
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
1. Suntory’s Yamazaki 50-year old whiskey sold to the highest bidder.
In a Hong Kong auction held in January this year (2018), Suntory’s Yamazaki 50-year old whiskey was sold for the unprecedentedly high price of 32.5 million yen.
This is, of course, the highest amount ever paid for a Japanese whisky at auction.
When I was young (1970’s), bars and clubs in Kitashinchi were lined with bottles of Suntory’s “Old” (commonly known as “Daruma”) kept in stock. Some of them had “Royal” and “Yamazaki…
However, demand for whiskey has been declining ever since. Suntory’s whiskey shipments peaked at about 30 million cases in 1983 , and are currently at about 10 million cases.
2. “Massan,” NHK’s morning television series that broke the long-term slump in demand for whisky
In 2014, the story of Nikka Whisky founder Masataka Taketsuru was featured in NHK’s morning television series “Massan,” in which American actress Charlotte Kate Fox, who played the founder’s wife, became very popular, and Suntory’s highball commercial starring Haruka Igawa, Whiskey seems to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
The NHK TV program “Massan” has led to a surge in the number of tourists visiting the Nikka Whiskey distillery and its attached museum in Yoichi, Hokkaido, and a corresponding surge in the number of visitors to Suntory Whiskey’s Yamazaki factory in Yamazaki, Shimamoto Town, Osaka Prefecture.
3. high evaluation of Japanese whisky
In such an environment, it makes me feel proud as a Japanese to see Japanese whisky receive an overwhelmingly positive evaluation in the global whisky bidding against brands from Scotland and other countries where it is made in its home country.
Nikka Whisky’s “Taketsuru” and “Yoichi” had already been highly acclaimed overseas, but this time, Suntory’s “Yamazaki 50years” is a landmark achievement.
4. Japanese “Western Worship” is a Bad Habit
Japanese people have had a bad habit of “Western worshipism” since the Meiji Era (1868-1912), and after the defeat in the Pacific War, there was a tendency to ”worship America.
However, with the recent world recognition, Japanese people are rapidly “re-evaluating” Japanese whiskey.
To put it in the same way as Hazuki Loupe’（「ハズキルーペ」）s advertising slogan, it’s “As you’d expect from MADE IN JAPAN.”
The secret behind the “mellow aroma” that was the deciding factor in the evaluation of Suntory Yamazaki 50 Year Old this time was unexpected.
Previously, whiskey barrels were made of white oak, but after World War II, imports became impossible, so Suntory staff searched for alternative barrel materials. As a result, they decided that Japanese Mizunara oak was the best material for barrels.
Apparently the bold decision to use Mizunara oak for the barrels was based on the company’s “give it a try” spirit.
However, when they tasted a 10-year-old brew made from raw liquor aged in Mizunara barrels, it was not well received, as it was considered to have a strong flavor.
However, when it comes to the “20-year-old” whiskey, which uses raw liquor stored in domestic Mizunara barrels, it exudes “a unique aged aroma that has been likened to the scent of aloeswood or sandalwood.”
5. Shadows of a bubble in the reevaluation of Japanese whisky
However, I am a bit concerned that the popularity of Japanese whisky has become so overheated that it has become so expensive that it is starting to look like a bubble, making it the subject of “speculation.” Whiskey has no expiration date unless it is opened, so it may be an easy subject for speculation, but I think we should not forget its original purpose: to drink and enjoy.
<Suntory Whisky “Yamazaki 55 Year” on sale for 3 million yen> (Added 2020/2/15) As domestic “aged” whiskeys (whisky with a minimum age listed) become difficult to obtain and sales are suspended, and whiskey popularity is heating up, Suntory Spirits will release Suntory Single Malt Whisky “Yamazaki 55 Year” in a limited edition of 100 bottles. The lottery sale will begin on February 5th and will be released on June 30th, but the price is a whopping 3 million yen.