About old bottle whiskeys that were available in Japan in 1983

Hello, I am the owner of Antique Liquor.

This time, we will share information about whiskey that was in circulation in Japan in 1983. This document was published by Kodansha in 1983 and compiles information about various types of alcohol that were in circulation in Japan between 1982 and 1983. In addition to whiskey, it also introduces blends such as wine and cognac, and beer, but below we will introduce only the information about whiskey.

All the whiskeys introduced in this book are believed to have been distributed in Japan in 1983, but they were not necessarily bottled or shipped around that time. Looking at the list of whiskeys, it appears that some were produced in the 1970s.

At the time, Japan was in the midst of rapid economic growth and was actively importing high-quality whiskey, but whiskey was not very popular worldwide. As a result, whiskey produced before the 1970s could not be consumed in the 1980s and was therefore sold as is.

Among the whiskies above, you can see Royal Lochnagar 12Y, Linkwood 12Y, Mortlach 12Y, Highland Park 21Y, 12Y. Just looking at the photos of these delicious whiskies will bring a smile to your face.

In particular, Mortlach 12 Year Old was bottled as a single malt whisky, which was very rare at the time, and is a delicious whisky that allows you to enjoy elegant old sherry. In addition, although not as good as Mortlach 12 Year Old, Highland Park, Linkwood, and Lochnagar are also highly refined whiskies that allow you to enjoy well-balanced old sherry.

Personally, I don't think Knockando 12Y has much character and is very tasty. If you're going to buy Knockando whiskey, I recommend the screw-cap version bottled in the 1970s.

The timeless classic, Macallan 12 Year, was sold for 15,000 yen, which was expensive for a 12-year-old whisky at the time. The Macallan 12 Year from this era shows performance that easily exceeds the current 18-year-old, so it is a whisky that you will want very much.

When I think about the fact that Talisker 12Y, which is now traded at a very high price, was sold for 10,000 yen back then, it makes me think that those were the good old days.

Another delicious whiskey that is sure to please is the Tomatin 10 Year Old. The Tomatin 10 Year Old distributed in Japan and the United States is bottled at 43% alcohol content, 3% higher than the 40% distributed in Europe and other regions, giving it a higher level of performance.

The lineup of delicious whiskeys includes Glenesk 12Y, made from a closed distillery, Glen Elgin 12Y from the Whitehorse era, Glen Dullan 12Y, which was bottled at a high alcohol content of 47%, which was rare at the time, Glen Dronach 12Y, which has a fruity and tropical flavor, and Dufftown 8Y, which is bottled at a high alcohol content of 46%.

The performance of the high-alcohol Glendullan 12 Year Old is particularly outstanding, and is one of my personal favorites. Dufftown 8 Year Old was initially released at 46%, but was later diluted to 43%, and finally to 40%, but the 46% version still performed the best.

These are BOWMORE and SPRING BANK whiskies. The Bowmore in the photo appears to be the Bicentennial 29 Year Old and Deluxe, but they are all wonderfully delicious old Bowmores. BOWMORE DELUX was released in the late 1970s, but because it has a screw cap, it is less likely to deteriorate due to evaporation, and most of the bottles are in excellent condition.

Argyll whisky is a rare Springbank single malt whisky bottled without the Springbank name. In the early 1980s, many whiskies were released without the name of a specific distillery, and the quality was often high. Among these Argyll whiskies, QE2, bottled for the luxury cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2, was bottled with a high alcohol content of nearly 49%, and is recommended as it is still in good condition to this day.

Among the whiskies listed above, Bunnahabhin (now Bunnahabhain) whisky is especially recommended. The whisky's flavor opens up and shows great performance within two weeks to one month after opening.

I am also interested in the famous distillery's DALMORE 12Y, but given its current rarity and price, its performance is weak, so I would recommend the tall bottle released after this bottle.

Suntory's Yamazaki whisky was also launched in 1984, and blended whisky was the mainstream of Japanese whisky in 1983. Famous whiskies from this period included Suntory The Whisky shown in the photo, Suntory Imperial, and Suntory Royal 60'.

In addition to Suntory whiskey, Nikka also released this type of Japanese whiskey in 1983. Among them, Super Nikka is famous, but I personally recommend Nikka Tsuru, which was released in a ceramic bottle.

One of the most popular luxury whiskeys from the 1970s to the 1980s was JOHNNY WALKER. In particular, JOHNNY WALKER BLACK LABEL was sold at a price that was comparable to single malt whiskey at the time.

Johnnie Walker whisky is based on Cadhu whisky, with key malts including Talisker whisky and Clynelish whisky, which are still very popular and rare today, and its deep flavour and perfection are worthy of praise.

The most famous Scotch whisky, including blended whiskies, is probably Ballantine's whisky. In 1983, there were few whiskies over 12 years old, but Ballantine's released a large number of whiskies, including 30-year-old ones. At the time, Ballantine's 30-year-old was priced at 80,000 yen, and was sold as a very expensive luxury item.

This is a blended whiskey from Tomatin Distillery. Blended whiskeys tend to have a weak personality, but these blended whiskeys are full of character, with a faithful barley flavor and just the right amount of smokiness.

Among these, Tomatin Gold Label is a Japan-exclusive product that was specially blended by the president of Tomatin Distillery himself in the 1970s, and is a highly refined whiskey. Tomatin 12 Year Old was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the release of Tomatin Gold Label. It is an old bottle whiskey that we would especially recommend among blended Scotch whiskies.

Ambassador whisky is a Scotch blended whisky that has been distributed in Japan since 1969, and is a high-quality whisky that has been aged for up to 25 years. It is highly likely that Ambassador whisky contained malt whiskies from Scapa and Glen Scotia as its main constituents. These malt whiskies are thought to have contributed to Ambassador's light and balanced flavor.

Royal Salute by Chivas Brothers is known as a top-level Scotch blended whisky on par with Ballantine's whisky. At the time, it was blended with malt aged for over 21 years and sold at a very high price of 45,000 yen. In addition to Royal Salute, the Chivas Regal series was also sold as a high-end whisky aged for up to 25 years.

There are many famous and popular blended whiskies such as Logan, White Horse, and Usquaeba, all of which are highly refined. Among them, I would like to recommend Vat 69, which uses Glenesk whisky as the key malt, and the premium version Vat 69 Reserve.

Above, I have briefly shared the current situation while looking at materials on old bottle whiskey. I hope this will be helpful for your whiskey life.