Japanese Four Roses

[catofadiferntskn]

Good Day Guys,

I know Four Roses sells high end Bourbon in Japan. My best friend lays over there every 2 weeks. Is there anything in particular to look for there? Is it the same as our single barrels?

Thanks!

[Paddy]

Good Day Guys,

I know Four Roses sells high end Bourbon in Japan. My best friend lays over there every 2 weeks. Is there anything in particular to look for there? Is it the same as our single barrels?

Thanks!

The two available (platinum and fine old) are blended specifically for the overseas market. Both are under 90 proof I believe.

[oke&coke]

And just the fact it's not available state side makes it that much more interesting. Without knowing the price, I still wouldn't mind scoring a bottle of one or both.

[ChainWhip]

If you're looking for bourbon from Japan, I would ask for Blanton's Gold or Straight from the Barrel.

[squire]

Oh, the Blantons by all means.

[smokinjoe]

A bit of a dusty hunt these days in Japan, but an Evan Williams 12 or 15 yr, or Maker's Black Wax would be a cool finds. Maybe, even the Maker's Gold Wax was a Japan release?

[catofadiferntskn]

In doing research online, I see there was a barrel strength small batch in Japan. Do we know if that is a regular offering in Japan?

I'll put Evan Williams 12/15, Blanton's, and the Platinum/Fine Old on the list.

[squire]

I forgot about the Makers Black label, that would be more desirable for me than the EW 12 and 15 because I can get something close to them here, the Makers, no.

[elmossle]

Just got a Platinum in as a Christmas present. Haven't tried it yet, but I was told that it was fairly easy to find. My guess would be to got with the Platinum first and then maybe the Blantons second.

[HanaMizu]

I picked up the EW 12 when I was in Japan a year ago. It was just so-so. At $20 a bottle I would recommend something else instead. I will be back in Japan in two months and intend on picking up the Blanton's Straight from the Barrel for sure. My brother-in-law picked me up a bottle of Van Winkle Lot B a few weeks ago that I will be bringing back as well. I'm curious about the Four Roses Platinum and Fine Old........but for some reason I suspect they are quite over-priced. I intend to taste them first and then will decide whether or not they are worth the price.

I don't think you can find any older Japanese versions of Maker's...........and if you do........they will be quadruple the MSRP.

These two links list some products at a store in Shinjuku that I have shopped at before:

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/shinanoya/c/0000000986/

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/shinanoya/c/0000000987/

I forgot about the Makers Black label, that would be more desirable for me than the EW 12 and 15 because I can get something close to them here, the Makers, no.

[smokinjoe]

I picked up the EW 12 when I was in Japan a year ago. It was just so-so. At $20 a bottle I would recommend something else instead. I will be back in Japan in two months and intend on picking up the Blanton's Straight from the Barrel for sure. My brother-in-law picked me up a bottle of Van Winkle Lot B a few weeks ago that I will be bringing back as well. I'm curious about the Four Roses Platinum and Fine Old........but for some reason I suspect they are quite over-priced. I intend to taste them first and then will decide whether or not they are worth the price.

I don't think you can find any older Japanese versions of Maker's...........and if you do........they will be quadruple the MSRP.

These two links list some products at a store in Shinjuku that I have shopped at before:

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/shinanoya/c/0000000986/

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/shinanoya/c/0000000987/

Thanks for the links, HM. Always enjoy seeing the different iterations available in Japan. Interesting to see the Harper's, there. Might be another nice pickup for the OP. BTW, what was MSRP for Maker's Black?

[jvd99]

If you're looking for bourbon from Japan, I would ask for Blanton's Gold or Straight from the Barrel.

All of the Blanton's expressions are available from the usual UK online retailers. However, I've never seen the Japanese FR's on those sites. I'm a huge FR fan and would love to see the foreign selections more available to the States and the rest of the world.

[HanaMizu]

Thanks for the links, HM. Always enjoy seeing the different iterations available in Japan. Interesting to see the Harper's, there. Might be another nice pickup for the OP. BTW, what was MSRP for Maker's Black?

I've read on other forums that the Harper's is not very good value for the money. I'm not sure what the MSRP was for the Marker's Black. I thought it was just a different proof......so I would suspect it would be relatively similar in price to the standard Maker's.

The links I posted were just for one store. Here is a link for a bunch of different retailers all combined into one posting. If you want to scroll through you can find some of the other stuff available:

http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.rakuten.co.jp/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Drakuten.co.jp%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D622

The search field near the top will work as well if you want to search for a particular bourbon.

I've heard that Virgin and Yellow Rose of Texas are Heaven Hill products that are only available in Japan. Don't know much about them.

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[squire]

Bill Samuels Jr. is on record as describing the 94 proof Japanese export MM black label as having more depth and richness than the standard MM.

Yes, Virgin and Yellow Rose are standard HH products but if I were a Texan I would get some of the Yellow Rose just for the label.

[fishnbowljoe]

Bill Samuels Jr. is on record as describing the 94 proof Japanese export MM black label as having more depth and richness than the standard MM.

Actually, the MM Black Wax export bottling is 95 proof. MM also had a 101 proof Gold Wax at one time too. I wish they still made the 101 proof version. Even though MM 46 is decent, I believe a 101 proof MM would be much better.