It’s #SuntoryTime! I spent an entire week traveling around Japan learning about all things Suntory. I visited the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries, Premium Malt’s Brewery, tasted an array of highly sought after whiskeys, ate a ton of oishi food, took in the natural surroundings in an incredible ryokan, and met some new friends from different parts of the world.
These photos were taken from our first night in Tokyo at Apollo Bar (my fav)! Hidenori Komatsu-san is a whisky connoisseur and spent decades working in the whisky industry including Suntory. After retiring, he decided to open his own bar in Ginza. Over the years, not only has Komatsu-san collected an extensive collection of rare Suntory Japanese whisky bottles, he’s attained a substantial amount of knowledge about the product as well as how to properly enjoy it.
Komatsu-san is known for mastering the whisky highball. He’s perfected every last detail from the thin serving glasses, perfectly shaped hand-carved ice blocks, and the temperature of the ice (hence the fan), to the number of stirs and the amount of carbonation in his house-made soda water. Flawless. 👌