excerpt in the window of print: The bar's air of quiet, mastered pleasure mirrors the astonishing ascendency of Japanese whisky, which regularly surpasses its Scottish progenitor in international whisky awards.
Note:
(1) Corporate History. Sumtory, undated. http://www.suntory.com/history/index.html
(a) 1899 Shinjiro TORII 鳥井 信治郎 starts the Torii Shoten 鳥井商店 in Osaka.
* tori 鳥【とり】 (n): "bird" (Japanese pronunciation)
(b) 1907 Akadama Port Wine 赤玉ポートワイン, a sweet grape wine was released
* 赤玉 Akadama
* akai 赤い【あかい】 (adj): "red"
* tama 玉【たま】 (n): jade, jewel
* ポート port
* ワイン wine
(c) 1921 Kotobukiya 寿屋 Limited founded.
* kotobuki 寿 【ことぶき】 (n): "longevity; long life"
(d) 1924 Yamazaki Distillery completed--Japan's first malt whisky distillery, begun in Yamazaki in the outskirts of Kyoto
* Yamazaki http://Yamazakien.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamazaki
(an area in Japan along the border of Shimamoto, Osaka and Oyamazaki, Kyoto)
* Shimanoto, Osaka 大阪府 (三島郡) 島本町 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimamoto,_Osaka
* Oyamazaki, Kyoto 京都府 (乙訓郡) 大山崎町 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyamazaki,_Kyoto
(2) Ja.wikipedia.org explains the etymology of Suntory this way: "これは当時発売していた赤玉ポートワインの「赤玉」を太陽に見立ててサン（英語のSUN）とし、これに鳥井の姓をつけて「SUN」＋「鳥井」（とりい）＝「サントリー」とした、ということになっている。「鳥井さん」（とりい・さん）を逆さにしてサントリーとしたという説も広まっているが、これは誤りである。"
translation: Mr Torii likened the 赤玉 in the 赤玉ポートワイン to 太陽 (English: sun), then added his surname (Torii) to create Suntori. Though spread wide, the story that 鳥井 様 (Torii san) is reversed in order is false.
(3) "In some you will find, apart from the typical array of sake, library-like shelves lined not with vellum spines but with dark-gold bottles of Hakushu, Laphroaig, Bowmore and Yamazaki."
(a) vellum (n) 羊皮紙/牛皮紙 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vellum
(b) spine (書)脊
(c) Hakushu 白州 (a brand of Suntory; haku is Chinese pronunciation for 白)
(d) Laphroaig distillery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laphroaig
(on the isle of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland; founded in 1825; now owned by Beam, Inc (an American company))
(e) Bowmore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowmore_distillery
(at the village Bowmore--which gave its name to the distillery--on the isle of Islay; founded 1779; owner Suntory)
(4) "From Glencairn Crystal glasses (the slightly tapered nosing glasses used by master blenders), hushed drinkers sip their Nikka single malts."
(a) For Glencairn Crystal glass, see Glencairn whisky glass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glencairn_whisky_glass
(developed by Glencairn Crystal Ltd, Scotland for drinking whisky; the shape of the glass is derived from the traditional nosing copitas used in whisky labs around Scotland)
(b) For copita, see wine glass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_glass
(section 3.4 Sherry glass: The copita, with its aroma-enhancing narrow taper, is a type of sherry glass)
(c) Nikka Whisky Distilling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikka_Whisky_Distilling
(headquartered in Tokyo; established in 1934)
translation: The predecessor was 大日本果汁株式会社, or 日果 for short. The latter is pronounced "nikka" whose katakana is the company name.
(d) whisky http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky
(section 3 Type: single malt whisky)
(5) Hiroyoshi"Mike" MIYAMOTO 宮本 博義
(サントリー㈱ 山崎蒸留所 工場長; his whole life was spent in Japan)
(6) "The bar at Kanga-an, tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, sits inside a small early 17th-century temple once patronized by the Imperial family. Its exquisite garden of bonsai and carved stone animals was created by the brooding emperor Go Mizuno."
(a) Kanga-an (黄檗禅宗 瑞芝山 京懐石普茶料理) 閑臥庵
* kan 閑 【かん】 (n): "spare time"
* ga 臥 (lying on the bed)
* Zen 禅 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen
(section 3 Zen teachings: 3.1 Rinzai 臨済(宗); 3.2 Soto 曹洞(宗); 3.3 Ōbaku 黄檗(宗); 3.4 Sanbo Kyodan 三宝 教団 (founded by Hakuun YASUTANI 安谷 白雲 in 1954])
* 臨済, 曹洞 and 黄檗宗 all originated in Tang Dynasty of China.
* Keun ŌBAKU 黄檗 希運 (died 850) founded (江西省宜春市宜丰县) 黄檗山 黄檗寺.
That was how Japanese pronounced Chinese name.
* 瑞芝山 is 山号 9pronounced "sangō in Japan) of 閑臥庵.
translation: Sangō came from China, where through 六朝 and followed by 隋唐, the practice spread: temples of the same names were erected in China; to distinguish them, a local temple would adopt the local name (ending with the word 山, not because it was on a mountain)
* kaiseki 懐石(料理) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiseki
(b) Emperor Go Mizuno0 後水尾天皇 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-Mizunoo
(1596-1680; reign 1611-1629)
Quote: "This 17th-century sovereign was named after the 9th-century Emperor Seiwa and go- (後), translates literally as 'later;' and thus, he could be called the 'Later Emperor Mizunoo.' The Japanese word go has also been translated to mean the 'second one,' and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as 'Mizunoo II.'
* Emperor Seiwa 清和 天皇 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Seiwa
(850–878; reign 858-876; From the site of his tomb the Emperor Seiwa is sometimes referred to as the Emperor Mizunoo 水尾帝 (pronounced "Mizunoo-tei")
translation: based on his wish before his death, he was buried at 水尾 山陵 (where 水尾 is pronounced mizu no o). The "mizu" is Japanese pronunciation for water, "no" means 的, and "o" is 尾.
(12) "The ultimate whisky bar in Kyoto is a place called Cordon Noir, which sits behind an unmarked door on the third floor of a tiny mall in the Pontocho area."
* Cordon Noir コルドン ノワール
* Ponto-chō 京都市 先斗町 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponto-ch%C5%8D
(花街)
(13) "Caol Ila's Douglas of Drumlanrig 25-year-old single cask sits side by side with old Ardbegs and Bruichladdich Port Charlotte.
(a) Caol Ila distillery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caol_Ila_distillery
(founded in 1846 at the isle of Islay; acquired by Diageo)
(b) A whisky brewed by Caol Ila, the Douglas of Drumlanrig is named after
William Douglas of Drumlanrig http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Douglas_of_Drumlanrig
(14) "Suntory's Hibiki—but a small yet intense range of lesser-known offerings: Evermore, which is lovely in arcane square bottles; and a 12-year Mars, matured in sherry butts from the Shinshu distillery."
(a) hibiki 響き 【ひびき】 (n)" "(1) echo; reverberation; (2) sound (esp. the distinctive sound of an object or activity, e.g. rain, gun, gallop, drum)"
(b) Kirin Brewery Co launched Evermore in 2002.
麒麟麦酒 株式会社 Kirin Bīru Kabushiki-gaisha (based in Tokyo; co-founded in 1885 by 三菱財閥の岩崎 弥之助 Yanosuke IWASAKI)
iya 弥; 愈 【いや】 (adv): "more and more; increasingly"
(c) Shinshu distillery 信州蒸留所 (located at 長野県 上伊那郡 宮田村)