Day 9: Osaka Castle

Not much to say except I visited this beautiful castle










Doing it right




bye bye

Day 9: Yamazaki

Yamazaki is a small town just outside of Osaka that was the birthplace of Japanese whisky. The distillery was founded in 1923 and named after the town that still is prized for its pure spring waters and diverse climate. If you've never tried Yamazaki and you enjoy whisky you have to give it a try. There's not a lot better than the 18yr old in it's price range. When I first discovered this whisky several years ago it was $90. It now sells for over $150. And it's still worth it.



Thank you for your hard work sir




One of the giant copper stills. Unlike a lot of distilleries, Yamazaki uses different shaped stills in the various steps of the distillation process to yield a greater variety of characteristics in their alcohol.




The warehouse smelled strongly of oak and alcohol




I wish I had this collection (minus the bookends)




There are over a thousand bottles of various maturations of whisky on display here




You can also sample various whiskies at a very reasonable price





Yamazaki 25
Smoke, molasses, floral nose. Almost a coffee, or roasted barley aftertaste that is long and lingering. I think I may prefer the 18yr. Especially since this bottle costs around $1300

Hibiki 21
Toffee, caramel, melted butter, alcohol. Definitely needs time to open up. Syrupy and silky. Delicious. Better than the 17yr and the 12, but barely. At around $250 a bottle maybe I'll grab one someday




These two whiskies were part of the 5 I believe that are used to blend into the Hibiki 17yr. This is the only place you can sample all the blends of the Hibiki line. On the side is "Mother water" which is the water they use to make the whisky. I'm not going to lie, it was actually really tasty as well. They should bottle this and sell it too.

Mizunara (Japanese Oak only found in Hokkaido 52% alc)
Needs water, sweet toffee, amazingly floral. Haunting, and unique aftertaste, almost like roasted corn, the smell of young wood burning. I wish I could buy this in a bottle

White Oak (54% alc)
Dried fruits, grape, lots of alcohol. Grain/wheat finish with some bite. After adding water, I could taste some vanilla and oak as well.

Day 8: Osaka evening stroll

All adventures begin from our hotel subway stop. A little out of the way of all the action, but at least convenient to get to.


"I'M A TRAIN!"
"The train is talking to me, I gotta go"




Anybody that has been to Japan knows this sign as a sign of awesomeness




They seem close




River at night

Day 8: Osaka Aqarium

It's Day 8, and it's a humid hot mess. Time to spend time at the aquarium.


Underground passes to escape the heat and the traffic




Somebody thought long and hard where to put that ad. Well played




Fish in a small tank




Sharks in the big tank




This guy is like the battle cruiser, with the other fish being fighter planes. This is how I saw it anyways. Fish wars




Jelly




Who doesn't like penguins?

Day 7: Osaka pt 4

Night cap? If I must


Start if off right with the Yoichi 20yr. Here are some comments from the internet:

Nose: big notes of cedar wood up front. Cigar boxes. Tobacco leaves. Old leather. Nice to see there’s also an estery note (nail polish) but this fades away quickly. Dark forest fruits remain. After that, some earthy smoke, burnt cake and a little tar. Hints of dried mushrooms and soft spices. Incense as well. Light matchstick notes from the sherry. Excellent complexity and typically Japanese.

Mouth: punchy (bordering on pungent). Again quite savoury and leathery. Walnuts and roasted pecans. Deep, earthy peat smoke. Pepper, liquorice, anise, a pinch of salt. In the background a strong bitter-sweet harmony of burnt fruit cake and dark chocolate. Slightly sourish tobacco leaves.

Finish: very long, smoky and chocolaty with traces of dry oak.

Here are my notes:

Tasty. Pricey.

I tried the Miyagikyo and that was fantastic as well. I wish I had written down my thoughts about it. Oh well, next time.



In case it's not obvious, I am at the Ritz-Carlton bar in Osaka. It's a spectacular bar. Not because of it's location or selection, but because of the people that work there. Everything is done perfectly. And ok, they have an outstanding collection of exclusive and rare alcohol.




White Bowmore, is one of the three unicorn scotches that I would like to someday try. Black, and Gold being the other two. They sell this here for just slightly over $500 a dram, or the bottle can be yours for north of $16,000. Needless to say, I didn't try it. The bartender did, and he said it was amazing.




I asked him what was his other favourite whisky that regular people could afford and he produced this. I've never been a fan of the Hakashu 12 when the Yamazaki 12 and Hibiki 12 are so much better, but I gave it a shot anyways. I wasn't disappointed. Sharp fruit and alcohol on the nose, with a little bit of smoke. The taste starts off silky and then you really taste the oak. What keeps bringing me back to this is the taste of the wood. It's so unique that similar to a really peaty Islay, I can't get enough of it.




This is how they do a serious mojito



Another exclusive bottling for the Ritz. It was a pretty typical Clynelish: smooth, light, some dry fruit and then leathery and oak. Still delicious.



Farewell....I'll be back

(I did go back)

Day 7: Osaka pt. 3

There's only one good reason to walk around all day, and that is to work up an appetite to eat. Osaka is also known for it's kushiage, which is basically things they deep fry in batter and serve. This is pretty far away from how they do it in America though (think state fairs). At it's best, there is a lightness and subtlety to each dish that makes each bite a memorable experience. Tomo did some research and chose the restaurant, so it was great. I present to you Cuisine d'Osaka Ryo



On the way there




Appetizers. I forgot what everything was, but it was delicious.






Some notable mentions was the rice puffs, the soup, the eggs on eggs, and I think there was foie somewhere in the mix too

Day 7: Osaka pt. 2

Osaka is known to be the more loud and expressive of the cities in Japan. Many attribute this to the many comedic shows that run, and of course the comedians that perform in them. I didn't attend one as the language barrier would probably not make it the most hilarious experience. Nevertheless, I did experience that warmer openness as I walked through the city.


This guy is supposed to be funny rather than scary




Looking down the river in the Dotonbori area




There are a lot of people here in the Shinsaibashi shopping arcade




"Feel my muscles"
"Tee hee hee"




I liked how the line through the middle made it look like a magazine spread




Lonely bike




"I miss my other bike"

Day 7: Osaka pt. 1

Today it is all about eating what Osaka is famous for.


The train to get there




Almost there



Takoyaki



Forgot what this was called, but it was egg based rather than batter based




Place was packed outside



And inside




Because of this: okonomiyaki