Gin is not an alcoholic beverage that one normally associates with Japan, but we think that after the drinking public tastes some of the gins being produced here that will change. Gin was thought to be the creation of Dr. Franciscus Sylvius, a.k.a., Franz de le Boe. This Dutch physician was, so the story goes, … Continue reading Suntory’s Sui Japanese Gin (Compared with Kyoto Distillery’s Ki No Bi)
Parliament Oak The Oak and the Reeds A VERY LARGE OAK was uprooted by the wind and thrown across a stream. It fell among some Reeds, which it thus addressed: “I wonder how you, who are so light and weak, are not entirely crushed by these strong winds.” They replied, “You fight and contend with … Continue reading The Mighty Oak: Chivas Regal 12 Years Mizunara Special Edition v. Chivas Regal 12 Years
It’s Not What You Might Think Happy Jack with His Honey Ale Honey-based or flavored alcoholic beverages may conjure images of mead or The Archies—fictional and fulsome—singing those saccharine lyrics that replay in your head as mechanically as the contortions of a fly struggling to liberate itself from the paper to which it is stuck: … Continue reading Maruichi Bakushu (まるいち麦酒) Honey Ale
Readers of a certain age might remember Donovan’s wonderfully paranoid song “Season of the Witch.” For the younger cohort it is highly recommended, as it describes an era not unlike our own. That being said, it is also, of course, the month in which Halloween falls, our favorite holiday here at drinkingjapan.org, and the season … Continue reading Season of the Witch: Hiyaoroshi (ひやおろし) Chiyonosono Brewery (千代の園酒蔵), Kumamoto Prefecture
Here’s a cigarette that even the defunct Tobacco Institute could plug with the confidence that their argument would remain unassailable—a smoke sans tobacco! No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong. We’re not talking about vaping here: we are referencing those ever-so-retro confectionaries known as chocolate cigarettes. Sometimes these cylindrical pieces of chocolate come wrapped … Continue reading Sweet Pairing: The Sake That Goes with Cocoa Cigarettes (ココアシガレットに合うお酒) from Chiyonosono Sake Brewery (千代の園酒蔵), Kumamoto Prefecture
The Amur River and Its Tributaries Attribution: Kmusser; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amurrivermap.png The Amur River forms part of the vast border that Russia shares with China. It, along with the Amur Valley that straddles that river, lends its name to a species of grape known as Vitis amurensis. The grape is actually a survivor from pre-glacial days. As … Continue reading Trilateral Rendition: The Wine Known as “The Amur Grape” : Amur Grape 2018 by Hitomi Winery
As might be suspected, we at drinkingjapan.org evaluate a large number of wines in any given year, ranging from international varieties to the indigenous. It’s a tough job, of course, but someone has to provide this social service, so we have agreed to meet the challenge. We have been diligent, but in one instance, we … Continue reading Musée du Vin BLACKQUEEN 2018
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