The second of BAR Shinkai’s 15th anniversary bottles
Linkwood 15years Hogshead for BAR Shinkai 15th Anniversary” was released.
BAR Shinkai, which operates three BAR’s in Minato-ku, Tokyo, has created a second private bottle to commemorate its 15th anniversary since its establishment in 2010.
This time, we have planned a limited sale of a Scottish single malt whisky, not a Japanese whisky, to the readers of the Japanese Whisky Dictionary.
１．Linkwood 15 years old Hogshead for BAR Shinkai 15th Anniversary Bottle
BAR Shinkai celebrates its 15th anniversary in January 2025.We would like to thank you for your continued patronage.
To commemorate our 15th anniversary, we have created a second Whisky exclusive to BAR Shinkai.
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1-1．Product Information
For the second commemorative bottle for BAR Shinkai’s 15th anniversary, we have bottled “Linkwood 15years old” with the cooperation of “Single Cask Japan”, the Japanese subsidiary of the UK independent bottler “The Single Cask Ltd”, which is a perfect match for the 15th anniversary.
Linkwood Distillery is a distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland owned by Diageo. Since more than 90% of the distillate is produced for blended whisky, few official bottles are released as single malt.
As a single malt, it is only released as a single cask from Diageo’s “Flowers and Animals Series” and from various bottlers. It is extremely rare and has attracted the attention of many whisky lovers in recent years.
The “Linkwood 15 Year Old” bottled by BAR Shinkai is a 15-year-old single malt whisky distilled in February 2010, stored for 15 years in Hogshead casks, and bottled at cask strength (58.7%) in February 2025.
It has a very gorgeous aroma and taste, with a tightly squeezed fruity flavor and a strong, long aftertaste, making it a very memorable whisky.
Linkwood is known as the distillery with the swan as its symbol, which is derived from the two swans that fly into the pond that stores cooling water in the distillery every year.
Linkwood is characterized by its fruity, floral, floral, and gorgeous taste, which is typical of Speyside, and its rich, dense, and sexy character.
The design of this year’s label is a cross between the two episodes mentioned above, featuring two swans that fly over every year, with one of them replaced by a beautiful woman in order to express the beauty element of the whisky’s flavor.
1-2．Product Specs
alcohol content (usu. expressed per cent) 58.7% Alcohol distinction single malt Scotch whisky raw materials malt cask-type Hogshead Cask No. 301555 distillery Linkwood Distillery Date of distillation 2010/2/8 Bottling Date 2025/2/13 quantity of content 700ml Number of bottles 238 bottles maker The Single Cask Ltd. selling price 19,800 yen (tax included)
１-３．Purchase Methods
You can purchase from the online store below.
Shinkai Drinks Store（https://store.shinkaidrinks.com/）
２．About Linkwood Distillery
Linkwood distillery is a distillery with a rich history, built by Peter Brown in 1821 and started production in 1825 with an annual capacity of 4,500 liters.
The name Linkwood is named after a nobleman’s mansion (manor house: Linkwood) in the Seafield estate in the Elgin district of Speyside.
Between 1872 and 1873, the distillery was renovated and production increased to 227,000 liters per year.
In 1962, the distillery underwent a complete renovation, replacing the steam engine and waterwheel that had powered the distillery, the distillery was electrified, and the pot still was replaced with an exact replica of the previous still.
In 1971, a second distillery with steam-heated stills was established. The first distillery’s pot stills were also converted to steam-heated stills, giving the two distilleries a combined production capacity of 2.5 million liters per year.
99% of the production is for Johnnie Walker and White Horse (key malt for blended whisky), and only a small amount is available as a single malt. Officially, only the rare malt series “Flowers and Animals Series” is available in the market, making it an extremely rare and valuable brand.
[Image source.：Wikipedia]
３．About The Single Cask Ltd.
The bottling of “Linkwood 15 Year Old” was made possible with the cooperation of Single Cask Japan.
Single Cask Japan is the Japanese subsidiary of the UK-based The Single Cask Ltd. and is responsible for the sale of bottles of The Single Cask Ltd. brand in Japan, as well as the sale of owner’s casks for private bottling.
The Single Cask Ltd. is an emerging independent single cask whisky bottler established in the UK in 2016.
With its own storage and bottling facilities, new bottles are released daily with an unwavering mission that has been arrived at by the representative Ben Curtis’ varied experience in the whisky industry.
Our mission at Single Cask Japan is to bottle single malt whisky, which is full of the character of each distillery in Scotland, in a non-colored, non-chill filtered (cooled and unfiltered), cask-aged state, and to deliver it to as many people as possible as “Single Cask Whisky”, based on our founder Ben Curtis’ belief that “the quest to find the best whisky never ends”. The single cask whisky is bottled as it is matured in the cask, without coloring or filtration, and delivered to the public as “single cask whisky.
[reference：The Single Cask Japan Official HP]
４．Finally.
Since the establishment of Single Cask Japan in 2020, bottles of The Single Cask have been increasingly seen in Japanese liquor stores.
Since last year, we have been vigorously exhibiting at whisky festivals held throughout Japan, and we have the impression that the number of bars and liquor stores that carry The Single Cask products has increased quickly.
Bottles of The Single Cask have been highly acclaimed at international trade shows and are known for their high quality. There is no doubt that opportunities to see more and more bottles of The Single Cask in the Japanese market will continue to increase.
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
