Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 23, 2012, 8:45 pm
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 12, 2012, 9:56 am
Way back in August of last year, the lovely people at Master of Malt sent me some Whisky samples to try, and they sneaked in a suprise bonus…a dram of the new (well a little bit old now) rum from Ron Jeremy (porn star and all round legend – in certain circles) and Alcoholes Y Rones De Panama Dis...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Dec 14, 2011, 8:56 am
They say that if you want to have a successful blog, the key thing is timing and to write posts timely and when the subject you’re writing about is current and relevant. So here is my blog post about Sake Day in Japan which occurred 2 months ago on October 1st! Sake day is so called as it’s ar...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Dec 3, 2011, 8:00 pm
Master of Malt announce St Isidore – a blended whisky created by bloggers St Isidore Whisky Master of Malt is proud to finally announce the release of the blended whisky, St Isidore, created entirely by whisky bloggers. To make this blend, the spirits retailer called upon the great and the good o...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Dec 1, 2011, 6:00 am
On a recent trip to Awajishima (Awaji island, a tiny island inbetween Honshu and Shikoku, just off the coast of Kobe), we stopped in at the local sake brewery Sennenichi to pick up a bottle of the local brew to take home. Sennenichi Sake Brewery We were greeted very warmly and were very quickly inv...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Nov 28, 2011, 5:00 am
In November, Master of Malt announced their whisky blending service, and initially you had to buy a minimum of 6 bottles. Well, due to the popularity of the service they’ve reduced the minimum to just one! So here is the revised press release from the guys at Master of Malt. In late November 2011,...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Oct 31, 2011, 10:11 am
After only a couple of days my “‘Hakai-O’ Sake Godzilla“, I blogged about recently, arrived in the post! No.43 of 3000. Nice. Nice Packaging An Even Nicer Box Out you come Godzilla Sake Bottle Godzilla Bottle Profile Godzilla Side-On I haven’t cracked open the seal to try the shochu yet....
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Oct 24, 2011, 11:22 pm
As well as having more than a passing interest in booze, I’m also quite keen on the Godzilla and other Toho Monster movies, and it’s not often these two worlds come together. So I was very excited to read about Konishi Brewing Company releasing a Special Edition Shirayuki barley Shochu in a God...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Oct 18, 2011, 9:54 am
It’s coming up to that Beaujolais Nouveau time of the year again, and due to time differences Japan always gets it first, and is probably the only country that still gets excited about it. The convenience stores have pre-order flyers so you can make sure you get yours as soon as possible. Beaujol...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Oct 13, 2011, 8:48 am
Some more news from the good people at Master of Malt. Proprietary Barley Spirit Drink After launching the incredibly popular Bathtub Gin, Master of Malt is proud to announce the release of Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s second product: Proprietary Barley Spirit Drink. The drink is based on a ...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Sep 30, 2011, 1:00 am
If you’re ever in Itami Airport in Osaka, head over to the far end of the West Terminal and in the corner you’ll find a sake shop that houses a wall of sake tasting vending machines. Sake Shop, Itami Airport Sake Tasting Vending Machines So you take one of the small sake tasting cups, place i...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Sep 26, 2011, 12:59 am
Found these the other day in my local convenience store. Beer Pretz. Beer Pretz They have two flavours edamame and sweetcorn. An ideal accompaniment for beer, so I thought I’d give them a go. The sweetcorn flavour actually tasted of sweetcorn which I was pretty surprised about and were pretty mo...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Sep 16, 2011, 9:37 am
Suntory Aki Raku Japan is a country with four very distinct seasons and these are usually marked by the release of seasonal beers (or more often than not these days, daisan or low malt fake beers) from the main brewers here. Last year I reviewed the Aki Aji 秋味 (Taste of Autumn) from Kirin which ...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Sep 6, 2011, 11:31 pm
Some more news from the good people at Master of Malt. Newly Released Old Fashioned Cocktail available at SelfridgesOld Fashioned Cocktail The Handmade Cocktail Company is proud to announce the launch of its newest pre-bottled cocktail, The Old Fashioned. Made using a superb rye-rich bourbon, a se...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Aug 9, 2011, 11:32 pm
This Summer saw the release of three new Japanese beers from the main Japanese breweries, Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo. Although only Kirin released a real beer. The other two opted for the cheaper option of beer-like drinks (daisan). Asahi Blue Label First came the Asahi Blue Label which, inevitably, ...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Aug 2, 2011, 1:00 am
Back in June of this year a Belgian Beer Festival was held in Osaka, Japan organised by Belgian beer importers and bars under the title of Belgian Beer Weekend (or Belgium for Japan). Part of the proceeds went to help rebuild areas of Japan devastated in the earthquake and tsunami in March. Early C...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jul 28, 2011, 11:30 am
I don’t usually “review” bars, and to be honest, since becoming a father last year, I don’t visit many of them, however I was meeting a friend up in Osaka the other week and had an hour or so to kill before he finished work, so I wandered around and found this cool little Aussie Bar, Seven S...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jul 21, 2011, 8:56 am
Some more good news from disaster hit Sendai, after the news back in May that Asahi restarting beer shipments from it’s brewery in Fukushima, and Miyagikyo Distillery reopening it’s tours, it seems that Kirin Brewery Co. will be resuming work at it’s Sendai plant in September and will start sh...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jul 14, 2011, 9:00 pm
First came the iBottleopener from Lightbulb Moments in America (I blogged about it last year, here), and now some Aussie’s are getting in on the act. The act being, combining an iPhone case with an always useful beer bottle opener. Two guys from Melbourne have designed, and funded with the help ...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jul 8, 2011, 9:10 pm
As part of their corporate tie-up t-shirt range, Uniqlo in Japan (and perhaps elsewhere) have released a series of sake and beer company t-shirts. There’s Yebisu, Sapporo and a few sake breweries, of which I bought the Otokoyama Brewery t-shirt (as I’ve tried, and liked their sake before). Otok...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jul 3, 2011, 11:42 pm
Kirin Ice + Beer According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, at the end of July, Japanese Brewery Kirin will release a beer designed specifically to be drunk over ice. They’re calling it, rather originally, “Ice + Beer“. It seems they were “inspired” by the recent trend of drinking wine or sake wit...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jul 2, 2011, 2:07 am
This Japanese guy decided to make a robot out of a Kirin Tanrei Happoshu can! (Guess it’s better than drinking the stuff!) Pretty cool, (in a very geeky otaku way). He’s even hooked it up so it can be controlled by a Wii controller! Readers who viewed this page, also viewedWhiskey Cool Related...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jun 20, 2011, 8:36 am
Whisky and Poker The Rat Pack. Las Vegas. Casinos. Whiskey. Cool. Is it just me or is there something inexplicably cool about sitting round a poker table sipping on a bourbon. At least it looks that way in movies and TV, in The Sting, Casino, Las Vegas. Is it possible to recreate that “cool”...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jun 13, 2011, 10:26 am
Last year I wrote about the Top 5 Fathers Day Presents in Japan with Whiskey being the Number One, and in a pretty related fashion, news came to me that Master of Malt have special Fathers Day Whiskey Tasting sets for sale. Here’s the lowdown : Whisky Samples for Father’s Day, from Master of Mal...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jun 11, 2011, 3:38 am
Today’s post is a Guest Post brought to you by Celebration Wine Club. Unique Wines Provide Special Value to Wine Clubs Members Celebrations Wine Club prides itself on offering unique wines through all of its wine clubs packages. Starting with a dedication to small, family-run wineries, Celebration...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - May 30, 2011, 11:30 pm
A few days after posting my Top 5 Alternative Songs about Drinking I was contacted by someone (let’s call them a PR agency, just for the hell of it), who liked the cut of my jib and wondered if I would listen to an artist called Heartour and his track about big city drinking, called “Big City Dr...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - May 28, 2011, 4:37 am
I found this postcard the other day, rather nice I thought. Belgian Beers Haven’t tried all of these beers yet unfortunately, but here’s the few I have tried.. Duvel Hoegaarden Belle Vue Kriek Classique Grimbergen Triple Readers who viewed this page, also viewedAsahi To Restart Beer Shipments f...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - May 10, 2011, 7:12 pm
Looks like disaster struck Fukushima is slowly getting back on it’s feet with recent news that the Miyagikyo Distillery in Sendai reopened it’s distillery tours, which were suspended after the quake, and newspapers yesterday reporting that Asahi Breweries will be resuming it’s shipments of bee...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - May 9, 2011, 9:00 pm
Some more news from the good folks at Master of Malt, this time it seems they’re launching a very old whisky liqueur… World's Oldest Whisky Liqueur Online Retailer and Independent Bottler, Master of Malt, has launched the world’s oldest whisky liqueur. Based on the very finest 40 year old sing...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - May 6, 2011, 10:03 am
Ok, so I knew you all wanted to know what they were, so I had a think and these are my Top 5 Alternative Songs About Drinking. “Alternative” because, well to be honest, I didn’t want “Red Red Wine” to be in there! So here goes…. Diving in at No. 5 is: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds wit...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Apr 12, 2011, 9:42 am
It’s been a while but I finally found another fish shaped wine bottle! I just happened to be doing my usual weekly shop in the local supermarket when there it was, sitting on the shelf…Pescevino Rosso Pescevino Rosso from Pescevino Winery in Osimo Italy. A very dry, fruity wine that was surpr...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Apr 2, 2011, 10:45 am
A couple of weeks ago, the nice people at Master of Malt sent me a couple more samples to try. I actually reviewed them a couple of weeks or so ago, but have only just found time to post this.Single Malt Whiskey Samples The dram size samples were the Caol Ila 30 Year Old Single Cask from Caol Ila Di...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Mar 24, 2011, 12:07 am
I was recently sent this press release from Whiskies of the World about their upcoming Expo this weekend…so here it is… WHISKIES OF THE WORLD EXPO ANNOUNCES LINEUP About 200 Expressions to Exhibit at 12th Annual Show Whiskies of the World The Whiskies of the World Expo and Artisanal Spirits Fes...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Mar 20, 2011, 11:05 am
Recently one of the big department stores in Osaka, Hanshin, was running a food fair featuring lots of different “Eki Bento” (boxed lunches sold at train stations) from all over Japan. As part of this you could also buy, for about ¥10,000 ($100), a box of 47 Cup Sakes (individual sized glass j...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Mar 15, 2011, 1:35 am
I recently splashed out on a bottle of Single Malt Whiskey. I spent ¥1900 (about $20) on a 350ml bottle of the Japanese Hakushu Single Malt instead of the usual ¥1500 ($15) for my monthly 750ml bottle of bourbon. Now that’s my idea of splashing out. How about £13,000 for a bottle? um… Mas...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Mar 10, 2011, 4:34 am
With Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) just around the corner here in Japan, the major breweries have started to release Sakura (cherry blossom) versions of their cans, or in some cases, like the Orion Ichiban Sakura, new seasonal beers. For those that don’t know, Hanami is a time for families, fr...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Mar 2, 2011, 9:32 am
A Sapporo Happoshu Ok, this news is a little bit old, as the Daily Yomiuri reported it back in January, but I’ve been busy and not had time to put this post up. Basically it seems that some of the major Japanese brewers, Suntory and Sapporo to be precise, are essentially stopping their producti...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Feb 21, 2011, 8:52 am
Here’s some news from the fine people at Master of Malt Master of Malt have created a whisky liqueur for single malt Scotch whisky drinkers. Whisky Liqueur Master of Malt’s Whisky liqueur is made exclusively with all-sherry matured, 10 year old single malt whisky from a very famous Speyside dist...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Feb 9, 2011, 12:31 pm
With Valentine’s Day soon approaching, which in Japan means women buying chocolate for men, (thanks to some genius marketing by a chocolate manufacturer many years ago), the shelves are being stacked with chocolate, chocolate recipes, Royce/Sapporo chocolate beer and this year I found shelves of a...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 27, 2011, 9:21 am
I came across this video clip on the “A Good Beer Blog” and the guy writing there didn’t seem too impressed with it. He seemed concerned it would spoil any “good” beer. Now admittedly I can’t imagine getting a good pint of Guinness this way but having spent way too long in bar queues at...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 24, 2011, 9:24 am
I thought I’d post a couple of photos of the sake sections in some local shops near me. The first is a more specialised off-license, which as well as shochu, whiskey, and crates of beer, has a Sake Corner, with bottles from all over Japan, as well as Ji-sake (地酒) which is craft-brewed sake (b...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 18, 2011, 7:20 am
Update Notice : Looks like I spoke too soon with this post…check the update at the end for what arrived the following day. Last year when my wife re-subscribed to the Asahi Shinbun, we received a free case of Asahi Super Dry. When she re-subscribed for this year, she requested to receive Kirin (th...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 14, 2011, 6:53 am
Back in December of last year, Master of Malt launched a range of Cask-Aged Whisky Bitters. Here’s what they had to say about them… Whisky Bitter Master of Malt have launched their own cocktail bitters which have been aged in a 38 year old Glen Grant cask! The bitters have been specially create...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 10, 2011, 12:43 am
Every year during the second weekend in January there’s a long Bank Holiday weekend, as we would say in England, and this co-incides with the Ebisu Shinto Shrine festivals held around Japan. People go to the shrines to buy fukusasa, which are lucky charms for businesses in the coming year. Just u...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Jan 1, 2011, 2:52 am
After ranking my Top 5 Japanese beers and Top 5 Japanese Happoshus here are my Top 5 Japanese Daisans. Daisans are very low malt content alcoholic drinks (sometimes called “Third-Category Beers” or “Liqueurs“). Japanese tax on alcohol varies depending on the malt content for some reason, an...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Dec 29, 2010, 8:48 pm
Ok, this is my top 5 Japanese happoshus. Happoshu in Japan is a low-malt beer, kind of like a fake beer to get round the Japanese tax laws that increase as the amount of malt in a “beer” increase. To find out more about this quirk in Japanese alcohol taxes have a look at my previous posts : Wha...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Dec 18, 2010, 6:08 pm
Suntory Kinmugi (Daisan) A recent report in the The Mainichi Daily News says that the Japanese government are considering upping the tax on Third-Category Beers (called Daisan) in order to bring their prices more in line with conventional beers and happoshus. In Japan the tax on “Malted” alcoh...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Dec 17, 2010, 6:07 pm
Food and Sake It was brought to my attention thay my little old site was included in a list of the Top 50 Japanese Food Blogs on another website. Ok, so this isn’t a Japanese food blog but sake, wine and beer all go well with food, oh and I blogged about Japanese wine chocolate the other day....
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Dec 8, 2010, 7:26 am
I was in my local “Conbini” (Convenience Store) the other day when I spotted these Wine Chocolates by the till. Well obviously I had to give them a try (and they were only ¥32 each), and have A Luxurious Aftertaste. Wine Chocolate They weren’t bad actually, with a soft jelly like centre, ...
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Jim B. posted an article on MoIppai Blog - Wine, beer, and more - Nov 25, 2010, 9:16 pm
The other day an email appeared in my inbox from the lovely people at Master Of Malt. “Would I like to try some samples of single malt whiskey?” they asked. Oh what lovely people. They didn’t ask for a “good” review, just that I tried them and write about them. No problem! Where do I ...
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