Quote:
Originally Posted by chemgear
? Department stores have them. Usually basement floor. Small section but I picked up a 25 year last time.
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I think I said that last year before I did my Japan trip in September. I'm very aware of the availability in the department stores, but the premium is a bit obscene at times. I was more aiming for something at a reasonable price last year. There's a significant mark up for some of these bottles. Something I'm not willing to pay. The reason I know the mark up is because I compared the price on Amazon.jp and the price difference was staggering at times. I didn't feel comfortable at the time to try and ship the bottle to myself in Japan, so I didn't use the Amazon.jp method to acquire the spirits.
For instance, Hibiki Harmony cal be acquired between $85-100 CAD in Calgary. I saw some prices between 90-125 CAD after conversion in Japan. That's silly, especially for something I can acquire here. I was targeting reasonable prices for things I cannot buy in Canada (ie: $150 CAD and less). I wasn't even targeting high end versions. Entry was ok as well, but I didn't see any. I saw Hibiki 18 go as much as $550 CAD in some places last year vs approx $250-280 CAD on Amazon.jp. For $550 ish, spend it on a Hibiki 21 with hand painted bottle in the Narita airport, not a Hibiki 18 that people are trying to pretend is a collectors item.
I nabbed small bottles of entry level Yamazaki, Hibiki and Hakushu in convenience stores in Japan. They ranged $20-25 CAD each for a tiny bottle. A nice treat I discovered was in BIC Camera for about $25 CAD called Sapporo whiskey which tastes like slightly diluted Hibiki Harmony. It probably is as good in Hibiki Harmony for 9/10 facets so it's a relatively nice and inexpensive sipping whiskey for those who enjoy Hibiki.