Kyoto Higashiyama · Gion
A Japanese Whisky Journey Through Time
Rare old bottles, guided comparison, and a time-structured tasting of Japanese whisky — from heritage, to terroir, to the future.
Discover a quieter, rarer side of Japanese whisky in Kyoto Higashiyama and Gion.
This is more than a whisky flight. It is a guided journey through the past, present, and future of Japanese whisky: from the accumulated heritage of Hibiki, Yamazaki, and Nikka; to the present transformation of coastal terroir in Akkeshi; and toward the living growth of Chichibu and a new generation of Japanese craft distilleries.
Each tasting is arranged not only by rarity, but by sequence, contrast, timing, and story.
Why This Experience
Instead of choosing random single pours, guests are invited into curated tasting routes built around time, lineage, terroir, and continuity.
The major houses of Suntory and Nikka reveal how Japanese whisky inherited, refined, and transformed tradition over generations. Newer distilleries such as Akkeshi and Chichibu show how Japanese whisky is still changing — shaped by climate, place, craft, and future possibility.
This is not an ordinary whisky flight.
It is a tasting journey through the time dimension of Japanese whisky.
Why come here to taste Japanese whisky?
Our Hibiki holdings run roughly three times deeper than a standard whisky specialty bar — from vintage Hibiki, Gold Label, and Gold Foil to early 17-Year releases, with multiple rare versions available to open and pour on any given visit.
Why taste Japanese whisky in Kyoto?
The Yamazaki Distillery is less than an hour away. Osaka has been Suntory's most important market since the brand's founding. Drinking Suntory here isn't just tasting whisky — it's experiencing a century of craft in the place where it all began.
Who leads the tasting experience?
With a background in investment banking and private equity, your host approaches whisky with a sharp eye for rarity, structure, and value. He has also worked across tea, dining, and hospitality, and brings together interests in marathon running, collecting, music, tea culture, antiques, vintage bottles, and Showa-era aesthetics. With a distinctly cross-cultural outlook and ease across multiple languages and dialects, he shapes each tasting with both depth and warmth.
Tasting Flights
Heritage is central to every flight we design — not just age or rarity. Every flight also holds a surprise bonus pour waiting to be discovered.
For us, heritage means more than age or rarity. It means understanding where Japanese whisky came from, how it developed, how it flourished, how it declined, and how it was revived. It means tracing both the horizontal stories across distilleries and styles, and the vertical stories that unfold across time.
This is why our flights are built not only around bottles, but around origins, lineages, transitions, and continuity.
THEME 01
Blending ArtistryThe art of blending, shaped by time into harmony. A route through the layered world of Hibiki and Suntory blending — from vintage Hibiki NAS, Gold Label, and Gold Foil, to older 17-year expressions and Imperial. This flight reveals the quiet depth, balance, and accumulated elegance of Japanese premium blending.
approx. 45–75 min
Regular
This vintage Hibiki NAS is often the starting point for understanding the old Hibiki style. Soft, rounded, and delicately balanced, it opens with ripe fruit, honey, and gentle wood tones, making it an ideal introduction to the vintage Hibiki journey.
The vintage Hibiki Gold Label shows a more graceful and polished side of old Hibiki. Floral aromas, ripe fruit, honey, and soft oak come together in a poised, elegant profile that reflects the refined luxury of classic Japanese blended whisky.
The vintage Hibiki Gold Label with gold flakes offers more than visual beauty. It captures the celebratory and collectible character of the old Hibiki era, with a delicate palate of ripe fruit, honey, and refined oak that leaves a memorable impression both in appearance and taste.
Vintage Hibiki 17 Year Old represents a deeper and more mature expression of old Hibiki. Layers of dried fruit, honey, spice, and fine wood unfold with greater complexity and a longer finish, making it one of the most iconic bottles for collectors and vintage whisky lovers.
Suntory Imperial stands as one of the classic symbols of Suntory’s premium blended whisky era. Rich, stately, and old-fashioned in the best sense, it often shows sherried sweetness, mature fruit, spice, and dignified depth. If Hibiki expresses refinement and harmony, Imperial speaks more of weight, heritage, and grandeur.
Regular
¥19,800
THEME 02
Version EvolutionFrom the first Yamazaki to Yamazaki 12, tracing a century of Japanese single malt. A timeline of Yamazaki 12 across generations: transitional labels, Pure Malt bottlings, Green Label 10 Year, Lion Crest vintage bottle (without Tokkyu), and Lion Crest vintage bottle (Tokkyu). This route shows how one of Japanese most iconic single malts evolved through label, era, market perception, and bottle generation.
approx. 45–75 min
Regular
Yamazaki 12 Year Old, transitional vintage bottle. A bridge between eras, carrying both vintage bottle character and historical significance.
Yamazaki 12 Year Old, Pure Malt vintage bottle. A more mature old-style release with notable depth, collectibility, and drinking appeal.
Yamazaki 10 Year Old, Green Label vintage bottle. A rare and iconic vintage bottle, representing one of the most classic chapters in Yamazaki’s history.
Yamazaki 12 Year Old, Lion Crest vintage bottle, without Tokkyu marking. An early-style release with strong identity, high rarity, and distinctive historical appeal.
This is one of the most iconic early bottlings of Yamazaki 12, featuring the rare "facing lions" label and the former Japanese "Tokkyu" premium-grade classification. Compared with the current Yamazaki 12, this vintage bottle shows a deeper old-style Suntory profile: richer body, mature fruit, gentle oak, and a distinctly Showa-era texture. It is not merely a glass of Yamazaki 12, but a historical snapshot of Japanese whisky before it became a global luxury category.
Premium
“Old Cask Finished” is an experimental Suntory Pure Malt expression from an earlier era. The whisky was filtered through bamboo charcoal and then finished in old sherry casks, giving it a clean, mellow profile with subtle smoke and sherry sweetness.
Regular
¥19,800
Premium
+¥5,000
THEME 03
Blended Malt EvolutionA Scottish seed of whisky tradition, flowering in northern Japan. Nikka is a story of Scotch tradition transplanted to Japan and flowering into multiple branches: Yoichi’s coastal strength, Miyagikyo’s gentle fruit, From the Barrel’s power, Super Nikka’s blended tradition, Maltbase structure, and the mature arc of Taketsuru. This route explores Nikka not as a single style, but as a living system of distilleries, blends, and old bottles.
approx. 45–75 min
Regular
Black Taketsuru, discontinued release. One of the most representative discontinued Nikka expressions in recent years, valued for both rarity and recognition.
Distillery limited black-label vintage bottle. A compact yet highly representative release, standing out as a rare expression from Nikka’s distillery-limited range.
Super Premium, vintage bottle. A richer and more polished upper-tier expression from Nikka’s classic blending tradition.
A mature expression from the Super Nikka lineage, bridging Nikka’s familiar blended whisky tradition with greater depth and age. This vintage 15-year-old bottle reveals a more composed and layered side of Nikka: gentle malt sweetness, rounded oak, soft fruit, and the quiet strength of Japanese blending.
The Blend of Nikka Maltbase Whisky 17, vintage bottle. A mature and full-bodied expression with the classic character of old-style Nikka malt blending.
Premium
Regular
¥11,380
Premium
+¥5,000
THEME 04
Craft DistilleryFrom the memory of Hanyu to the living future of Chichibu, Japanese craft whisky continues to grow. Chichibu represents the new generation of Japanese craft whisky: small-scale, highly regarded, still developing, and full of future possibility. From the memory of Hanyu to the emergence of Chichibu and its expanding distillery story, this route points toward the unfinished future of Japanese whisky.
approx. 45–75 min
Regular
White Leaf. A delicate and pure expression, standing as one of the early hallmark releases in the Hanyu–Chichibu lineage.
Black Leaf. A deeper and more concentrated expression that highlights the bold character of early Ichiro’s Malt.
Blue Leaf. A classic Leaf Series release with strong balance and layered complexity.
Green Leaf. A fresher and more lively expression, representing an important facet of early Chichibu spirit character.
Red Leaf. A fuller and more assertive release, standing out strongly within the Leaf Series.
Gold Leaf. A more opulent and elevated expression, widely regarded as one of the signature releases of the Leaf Series.
Premium
20th Anniversary Edition. Created to mark a major milestone, this release offers strong narrative value, collectibility, and symbolic significance.
Chichibu Second Distillery Single Malt. A symbolic release marking the next phase of Chichibu, reflecting both continuity and expansion in the new distillery era.
Regular
¥6,800
Premium
+¥5,000
THEME 05
Seasonal ThemeSea mist, frigid coastal air, and the 24 solar terms of eastern Hokkaido, expressed in whisky. Akkeshi speaks through place and season. Each release in the 24 Solar Terms series reflects a traditional calendar node, shaped by Hokkaido’s oceanic climate, sea air, peat, humidity, and cold coastal maturation. This route is a present-tense expression of terroir — whisky as climate, season, and place in the glass.
approx. 45–75 min
Regular
Regular
¥11,800
Premium
+¥5,000
THEME 06
Beginner-friendlyBuilt around the Royal line, this route introduces the balance, softness, and premium Showa-era aesthetic of classic Japanese blends. Starting with the Royal 60’ round bottle, moving through Royal 12, the 15 Year Blue and Gold Labels, and the rare Greeting vintage, before closing with the grandeur of Royal Imperial — a complete journey through the depth and history of Suntory’s Royal world.
approx. 45–75 min
Regular
Royal 60’ round vintage bottle. An early classic with strong Showa-era character, representing one of the starting points of the Royal lineage.
Royal 12 Year Old, vintage bottle. A refined and mature blend, marking an important transitional chapter in the Royal series.
Royal 15 Year Old Blue Label, vintage bottle. A poised and balanced mature blend with a distinctly classic old-school character.
Royal 15 Year Old Gold Label, vintage bottle. A more opulent and layered expression, standing as one of the hallmark upper-tier Royal vintage bottles.
Greeting, vintage bottle. A rare and distinctive side release, combining gift-like elegance with the classic character of old Royal.
Premium
Royal Imperial, vintage bottle. A higher-tier and more historically distinctive release, serving as a luxurious finale to the Royal world.
Regular
¥9,300
Premium
+¥5,000
THEME 07
Advanced StorytellingThis route shifts the focus toward old-bottle character, packaging era, and version story for guests who want more than just an easy drink. Centered on vintage classics and commemorative bottlings — ideal for guests ready to move beyond easy drinking into whiskies that carry a real story.
approx. 45–75 min
Regular
Premium
Regular
¥8,800
Premium
+¥5,000
Who It's For
Start with Showa Blended or Nikka — structurally clear flights that help you map out flavors and styles for the first time.
Jump into Yamazaki's version history, the Hibiki lineup, Chichibu Leaf, or Akkeshi Solar Terms to explore finer distinctions.
Each flight has a clear narrative arc. The host walks you through aroma, palate, and production background — it's a journey, not a list.
Flight tasting is naturally great for dates, small gatherings, client entertaining, or enthusiast meetups — far more engaging than standard ordering.
Four steps from choosing your theme to discovering your personal preference
STEP 1
Choose from 7 routes — Showa Blended, Nikka, Yamazaki, Hibiki, Chichibu, Akkeshi, or Rare.
STEP 2
Each theme offers Regular and Premium. Start anywhere — upgrade naturally as your interest grows.
STEP 3
The host guides you through aroma, palate, body, and production story as you taste each pour.
STEP 4
By the end you'll know whether you lean toward blends, single malts, aged character, or collector editions.
If tonight is your last night in Kyoto, don't leave with just another drink. Leave with a Japanese whisky story worth bringing home.
General Framework
Hibiki, Yamazaki, Nikka — heritage of a century
Akkeshi — terroir and the 24 solar terms, poured into glass
Chichibu — craft whisky reaching toward the future
This is not an ordinary whisky flight
but a kaiseki journey through the time of Japanese whisky
Seats are limited. Booking 1–3 days in advance is recommended.
Solo, duo, and small group reservations are welcome.
Shijo-Omiya · 18-10 Shijo-Omiyacho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto · 5 min walk from Hankyu "Shijo-Omiya" / 8 min from Subway "Shijo"
Gion · 〒605-0083 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Hashimotocho, 415 ラ・フェスタ祇園 4F