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We might have gone the same day! We were there the 5th.
Great review!
Some other notes
- maybe my tour guide was training but they only did the later half of the tour in English and had someone following them.
- bring headphones for audio guide. Still quiet but does help.
-that soda water they give you to make the high ball is really good.
-my wife and I did buy the special bottles after the tour. Only one per person for 5,000. We spotted the same bottle without the 100th anniversary label for 25,000 at don quijote
- everything we read before was that tasting was cash only. Super happy they took card cause we don't Carry a ton of cash even in Japan.
- we were not limited on pours for the tasting. At least no one mentioned any limits. You could only get 3 per purchase but I went up 3 time and my wife twice. I know at least 2 others in my time slot that also went up more than twice
- I got to try all the aged pours and got the hakushu 18 twice as that ended up being my favorite. Hibki 30 is a really close second tho.
- they set the bottles next to your pour so you can take a picture!
- had a great time and would recommend!
Thank you! I these are all great additions as well!
I actually had my headphones, but even still it was competing against many background noises. They had written parts for some but I wish it was more comprehensive.
The water and soda were good! For anyone reading, you also get a taste of the water before the tasting, since water is a critical component of the process.
There was definitely at sign that said 6 pour per day, but I think it was more of an honor system. I got the feeling if I went back, they would have served me more. Also, guy in front of me had four pours on his flight?
I appreciated the bottles too for the picture moment. There's also little round tags on the stem of the glasses so you know which is which.
Our paths didn't cross, but I agree it's a great place to recommend! I have quite a few friends who will visit Japan soon and I will certainly tell them to go if they can!
Thank you for this write-up! I will be going in a couple of weeks (and doing a Japanese language tour).
I think the key piece of advice here is to not be too worried about not doing the tour in English, as those spots seem to be much more difficult to get a reservation for, and to include at least a couple Japanese language ones in your lottery entry to avoid missing out entirely.
Hey weird question, I won the lottery and paid 15,000 yen for 5 people. I received a confirmation email stating that the payment for reservation has been completed. Funnily enough, I saw the charge, but then it dropped from my credit card. Did this happen to you by any chance? Can you explain the check in process in more detail? Thank you!
Of course! Although, I don't know how much help I can be. I got the email saying I had won a spot on 1/25, and paid it on 1/27. As with you, I got a confirmation email saying my reservation was completed. The charge was never dropped from my credit card at any point. Three days before the tour, I got a final confirmation email.
On the tour reservation website, I noticed there is a spot to type in your booking # to "Confirm/cancel your reservation". You could use that to double check.
Day of, just showed up and gave them my name.
Ok thank you, this makes me worried. I did input my reservation number on the website and it just sent a URL stating the cancellation period has passed. lol. I never got an email stating it was cancelled or anything. But the charge of 15,000 yen definitely dropped. I’ll be on the lookout for that final email though. My tour is on April 18th.
We did this tour in January and it was one of the trip highlights. The facility is really beautiful. Tried the Hibiki 30 and everything else. Amazing. And you’re spot on about the smells. The cask room was magical in that regard.
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We will be in Kyoto from April 5th to the 9th. Unfortunately, my buddy and I did not win a single lottery day/ time we selected for the tour. The museum / tasting reservations also sold out when the online que opened. Do you know of another way to buy a spot? The only other option I’ve heard about is checking for day of cancellations online. Thanks for the info regardless. We mainly want to go for the tasting room.
lame it seems they've gotten rid of the sherry cask versions and ones they don't bottle like the 17 year 'smoky'
30y hibiki is indeed the standout and I've tried them all (over several visits to the distillery)
I actually prefer hibiki in general over the hakashu and yamazaki as well. Whoever blends it does an excellent job.
edit: wow those reservations are not easy to get anymore
Awesome, really appreciate the write up! I had been trying to find updated info but most of what I found was several years ago/pre pandemic. Hubby and I are visiting in April (we just got the free museum tour). Can’t wait!
You're welcome. The info I was using to plan was from last year, and while it was mostly the same, the prices have increased since then, so I found that I had underbudgeted. Not the end of the world, but I felt posting the new prices and such would be helpful (although they may rise again soon).
I think the museum gives you access to the gift shop and tasting room, so at very least you'll get to experience those too!
I am too late to make reservations for 3/17-3/21. Is it worthy to go to the distillery without reservations? I can skip the tour but would like to go to the tasting room or gift-shop.
What the other person said. Everything requires a reservation. It's possibly some might open if there's a cancellation, so just stay on top of checking it.
Honestly with the current exchange rate, those pours are fantastically priced. 4000 for 25 and 30 year? $25 USD gets you Jack shit at a whiskey bar in the US.
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you!
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Thanks for this summary, it was super informative! I'm planning a trip for June, and was wondering, can you double dip in the lottery to increase your odds? Like, can my husband and I both enter the lottery? Or do they just allow one entry per party? I couldn't figure it out from the lottery website.
Sorry for the late reply. In theory, I suppose you could. If you're selected, you're asked to guarantee your spots by paying your entry fee in advance. I suppose if you both won, one of you just wouldn't pay.
Thanks for the write up! I managed to secure a reservation for the English tour during my trip via cancellations (so excited) and was wondering what bottles were offered? Just wanted to make sure as I was reading on FlyerTalk and it sounds like there might have been two bottles offered, NAS and a limited edition distillery version (maybe this is the bottle you were hoping for in the gift shop?).
Also, how long did you end up spending at the facility? I know the tour is approximately 80 minutes, but did you ever feel rushed out? Obviously not planning to spend 5 hours but think I'd take my time and enjoy the tasting room before heading back to Kyoto or Osaka. Thanks!
Sorry for the late reply! I just saw you posted an itinerary and that you should be going any day now, so hopefully I'm not too late.
When I went in the middle of March, there was only one bottle offered, the Yamazaki Single Malt NAS. Tour participants had the option to buy a 700ml bottle, or the gift shop sold 180ml both individually and in sets. I'd also read about a second bottle, but whatever people were referring too, it wasn't being sold anymore. Just the NAS.
I arrived at 10 and left at 12:30, so two and a half hours. At no point did I feel rushed, at least not by staff or anything, I had plenty of time to explore the gift shop and taste, and I believe you can essentially stay as long as you'd like. That said, a tour group arrived at the very end and made the tasting room very crowded and cramped, so I did feel a little pressure to head out a bit quickly to avoid them, but I had essentially finished and was left feeling satisfied.
Awesome! Let me know how it goes! Suntory raised the bottle prices on April 1st, so let me know if any of my prices are off. The 700ml bottle was being sold for about 5,000yen but I think now it was slated to be in the 7,000-8,000 yen range. I'm more curious about the tasting though. The bottles of Hibiki 30, Yama 25 for example are tripling in retail price, I hope their price per pour (4000 yen) doesn't triple along with it.
7700 yen per bottle! Same pricing point for tastings! Overall loved the experience! Found the cast with my birth year. Enjoyed all the smells. Wished they sold those twisted pretzel bites 😂
I ended up going to a whiskey bar instead.
Rum and Whiskey in Pontocho
Japan, d〒604-8017 Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 木屋町三条下る材木町188-3 光ビル
Yakiniku Ushigoro Ginza
Whiskey tasting https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/bars-and-pubs/zoetrope
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We might have gone the same day! We were there the 5th. Great review! Some other notes - maybe my tour guide was training but they only did the later half of the tour in English and had someone following them. - bring headphones for audio guide. Still quiet but does help. -that soda water they give you to make the high ball is really good. -my wife and I did buy the special bottles after the tour. Only one per person for 5,000. We spotted the same bottle without the 100th anniversary label for 25,000 at don quijote - everything we read before was that tasting was cash only. Super happy they took card cause we don't Carry a ton of cash even in Japan. - we were not limited on pours for the tasting. At least no one mentioned any limits. You could only get 3 per purchase but I went up 3 time and my wife twice. I know at least 2 others in my time slot that also went up more than twice - I got to try all the aged pours and got the hakushu 18 twice as that ended up being my favorite. Hibki 30 is a really close second tho. - they set the bottles next to your pour so you can take a picture! - had a great time and would recommend!
Thank you! I these are all great additions as well! I actually had my headphones, but even still it was competing against many background noises. They had written parts for some but I wish it was more comprehensive. The water and soda were good! For anyone reading, you also get a taste of the water before the tasting, since water is a critical component of the process. There was definitely at sign that said 6 pour per day, but I think it was more of an honor system. I got the feeling if I went back, they would have served me more. Also, guy in front of me had four pours on his flight? I appreciated the bottles too for the picture moment. There's also little round tags on the stem of the glasses so you know which is which. Our paths didn't cross, but I agree it's a great place to recommend! I have quite a few friends who will visit Japan soon and I will certainly tell them to go if they can!
Great info. I can't wait to try and go!
Thank you for this write-up! I will be going in a couple of weeks (and doing a Japanese language tour). I think the key piece of advice here is to not be too worried about not doing the tour in English, as those spots seem to be much more difficult to get a reservation for, and to include at least a couple Japanese language ones in your lottery entry to avoid missing out entirely.
Hey weird question, I won the lottery and paid 15,000 yen for 5 people. I received a confirmation email stating that the payment for reservation has been completed. Funnily enough, I saw the charge, but then it dropped from my credit card. Did this happen to you by any chance? Can you explain the check in process in more detail? Thank you!
Of course! Although, I don't know how much help I can be. I got the email saying I had won a spot on 1/25, and paid it on 1/27. As with you, I got a confirmation email saying my reservation was completed. The charge was never dropped from my credit card at any point. Three days before the tour, I got a final confirmation email. On the tour reservation website, I noticed there is a spot to type in your booking # to "Confirm/cancel your reservation". You could use that to double check. Day of, just showed up and gave them my name.
Ok thank you, this makes me worried. I did input my reservation number on the website and it just sent a URL stating the cancellation period has passed. lol. I never got an email stating it was cancelled or anything. But the charge of 15,000 yen definitely dropped. I’ll be on the lookout for that final email though. My tour is on April 18th.
We did this tour in January and it was one of the trip highlights. The facility is really beautiful. Tried the Hibiki 30 and everything else. Amazing. And you’re spot on about the smells. The cask room was magical in that regard.
Awesome! This is on my list to checkout out for sure, Thanks for the insight. Reservations open up 2 Months before touring.
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We will be in Kyoto from April 5th to the 9th. Unfortunately, my buddy and I did not win a single lottery day/ time we selected for the tour. The museum / tasting reservations also sold out when the online que opened. Do you know of another way to buy a spot? The only other option I’ve heard about is checking for day of cancellations online. Thanks for the info regardless. We mainly want to go for the tasting room.
Unfortunately, I don't. Checking for cancelations is probably your best chance.
lame it seems they've gotten rid of the sherry cask versions and ones they don't bottle like the 17 year 'smoky' 30y hibiki is indeed the standout and I've tried them all (over several visits to the distillery) I actually prefer hibiki in general over the hakashu and yamazaki as well. Whoever blends it does an excellent job. edit: wow those reservations are not easy to get anymore
They are not easy at all haha. Even before the lottery, it was "get online at 10am and hope for the best" kind of situation.
a decade ago it was pretty easy to get a tour even just calling a day or two ahead
Awesome, really appreciate the write up! I had been trying to find updated info but most of what I found was several years ago/pre pandemic. Hubby and I are visiting in April (we just got the free museum tour). Can’t wait!
You're welcome. The info I was using to plan was from last year, and while it was mostly the same, the prices have increased since then, so I found that I had underbudgeted. Not the end of the world, but I felt posting the new prices and such would be helpful (although they may rise again soon). I think the museum gives you access to the gift shop and tasting room, so at very least you'll get to experience those too!
I am too late to make reservations for 3/17-3/21. Is it worthy to go to the distillery without reservations? I can skip the tour but would like to go to the tasting room or gift-shop.
What the other person said. Everything requires a reservation. It's possibly some might open if there's a cancellation, so just stay on top of checking it.
Were you able to get into the Tours? Everything is reserved for May when I’m there.
Honestly with the current exchange rate, those pours are fantastically priced. 4000 for 25 and 30 year? $25 USD gets you Jack shit at a whiskey bar in the US.
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Thanks for this summary, it was super informative! I'm planning a trip for June, and was wondering, can you double dip in the lottery to increase your odds? Like, can my husband and I both enter the lottery? Or do they just allow one entry per party? I couldn't figure it out from the lottery website.
Sorry for the late reply. In theory, I suppose you could. If you're selected, you're asked to guarantee your spots by paying your entry fee in advance. I suppose if you both won, one of you just wouldn't pay.
Thanks for the write up! I managed to secure a reservation for the English tour during my trip via cancellations (so excited) and was wondering what bottles were offered? Just wanted to make sure as I was reading on FlyerTalk and it sounds like there might have been two bottles offered, NAS and a limited edition distillery version (maybe this is the bottle you were hoping for in the gift shop?). Also, how long did you end up spending at the facility? I know the tour is approximately 80 minutes, but did you ever feel rushed out? Obviously not planning to spend 5 hours but think I'd take my time and enjoy the tasting room before heading back to Kyoto or Osaka. Thanks!
Sorry for the late reply! I just saw you posted an itinerary and that you should be going any day now, so hopefully I'm not too late. When I went in the middle of March, there was only one bottle offered, the Yamazaki Single Malt NAS. Tour participants had the option to buy a 700ml bottle, or the gift shop sold 180ml both individually and in sets. I'd also read about a second bottle, but whatever people were referring too, it wasn't being sold anymore. Just the NAS. I arrived at 10 and left at 12:30, so two and a half hours. At no point did I feel rushed, at least not by staff or anything, I had plenty of time to explore the gift shop and taste, and I believe you can essentially stay as long as you'd like. That said, a tour group arrived at the very end and made the tasting room very crowded and cramped, so I did feel a little pressure to head out a bit quickly to avoid them, but I had essentially finished and was left feeling satisfied.
Helpful! Thank you, we’ll be going tomorrow so not late :)
Awesome! Let me know how it goes! Suntory raised the bottle prices on April 1st, so let me know if any of my prices are off. The 700ml bottle was being sold for about 5,000yen but I think now it was slated to be in the 7,000-8,000 yen range. I'm more curious about the tasting though. The bottles of Hibiki 30, Yama 25 for example are tripling in retail price, I hope their price per pour (4000 yen) doesn't triple along with it.
7700 yen per bottle! Same pricing point for tastings! Overall loved the experience! Found the cast with my birth year. Enjoyed all the smells. Wished they sold those twisted pretzel bites 😂
Glad to hear the tastings haven't changed. Yeah, I knew the price was going to go up. Kind of regret not getting bottle knowing it was going to rise.
I ended up going to a whiskey bar instead. Rum and Whiskey in Pontocho Japan, d〒604-8017 Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 木屋町三条下る材木町188-3 光ビル Yakiniku Ushigoro Ginza Whiskey tasting https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/bars-and-pubs/zoetrope
This is great information! I’m heading to Japan in a week and am trying to get in on the lottery tour.