Whiskey Auction

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Frederik Balfour, A Bull Market in Single Malts. Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Sept 1, 2014 (under the heading “Auction”)
www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... s-drive-bull-market

Note:
(a) “Two years ago, when Aaron Chan heard that a liquor store in Athens might have a rare Hanyu Ichiro Malt Japanese whisky, he phoned the shop from Hong Kong.”
(i) Aaron CHAN, Hong Kong Wine Club 香港葡萄酒會 會長 陳奕文 先生
(ii)
(A) Hanyū, Saitama  埼玉県 羽生市
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hany%C5%AB,_Saitama
(B) Chichibu, Saitama 埼玉県 秩父市
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichibu,_Saitama
* 崎(P); 岬; 埼; 碕 (n): “small peninsula” (Its Chinese and Japanese pronunciations are “sai” and “saki,” respectively.)
* View only the maps in both Wikipedia pages. There is no need to read text.
* Please note the syllables of “Hanyū” are Ha-nyū, rather than Han-yū.
(iii) 羽生市  City of Ha-nyū
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/羽生市
(section 3 市名の由来: 市内の神社にある懸仏に、天正18年（1590年）太田埴生庄との銘があり、埴（はに、赤土の意）が生（う、多いの意）であることを表しているといわれている)
(A) translation: The Shintō shrine in the city has a 懸仏, with inscription “太田埴生庄”--meaning “lots of” (“生”) “red clay”
(B) kake-botoke 懸仏 【かけぼとけ】 (n): “round plaque carrying the image of a Buddha (usually hammered from behind) used in temples and shrines”
Jim Breen’s online Japanese dictionary
(C) Go to images.google.com and you will see what a 懸仏 looks like.
(iv) Ichirō almost invariably is 一郎. But you know names of persons and places in Japan have great latitude in choosing kanji.

Here he is (still living) 肥土 伊知郎  Ichirō AKUTO
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/肥土伊知郎

translation: President of Venture Whiskey. A grandson of founder of 東亜酒造, which operated Hanyū distillery 羽生蒸留所. Graduated from University of Tokyo, with a major in 醸造学 [can mean either brewing or distilling or both in Japanese]. Entered [another company] Suntory. Wished to [famous] Yamazaki distillery [owned by Suntory] but gave up once told that a master’s degree was necessary to work there. Afterwards, worked at father’s 東亜酒造. 東亜酒造 was in crisis and had to sell 羽生蒸留所. However, the buyer decided to withdraw from whiskey business, and to dump the unblended whiskey already at the distillery, if a buyer could not be located for the wine. Exploring the idea, he finally got a hand from 福島県の笹の川酒造, where he warehoused the unblended whiskey, having borrowed from relatives to buy the wine. In September 2004, established venture Whiskey company at Chichibu, Saitama. Commuted [from Chichibu] to 笹の川酒造. Commercialized in Spring 2005 the "Ichirō's Whiskey."  With 56 percent alcohol by volume, “Kings of Diamonds” in Ichirō's Whiskey card series was awarded the highest honor of “Gold Award” in English “Whiskey magazine. In November 2007, [the construction of] Venture Whiskey's 秩父蒸溜所 was completed.

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(continued)

(b) “Unable to make himself understood, he e-mailed photos of the distillery’s distinctive playing-card labels to the shop. The owner replied with a picture of his bottle—the label was the Ace of Spades.”
(i) One of the four French suits is “spades.” An “ace” is a card. They are all lower cases.
(ii) Look at the photo of a whiskey bottle.
(A) This is the description of about all whiskeys under the title: “ジャパニーズ・シングルモルト、イチローズ・モルト～羽生蒸留所～”  (translation: Japanese・Single Malt・Ichiro’s・Malt  ~Hanyū Distillery~”
（有）山武商店　よしのや (address: 埼玉県富士見市関沢２－２５－５３), undated
www.e-yoshinoya.co.jp/ichiro.html
B) Besides a bottle labeled with an ace of spades:

“イチローズ・モルト
エース・オブ・スペーズ（スペードのＡ）

度数：５５度　容量：７００ｍｌ
完売です。

蒸留：１９８５年　ボトリング：２００６年
ファーストカスク：ホグスヘッド　セカンドカスク：スパニッシュオーク・シェリーバット
ボトリング本数：３００本”


translation: “Ichiro’s Malt
Ace of the Spades

55 percent alcohol by volume    Volume: 700 ml
Sold Out

Distilled: 1985   Bottling: 2006
First cask: hogshead    Second cask: Spanish Oak・Sherry butt
Number bottled: 300”

(ii)
(A) hogshead
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogshead
(A wine hogshead contains about 300 L (66 imp gal; 79 US gal); The etymology of hogshead is uncertain)
(B) Wine Lexicon: hogshead: “A barrel that holds 79 gallons or 300 litres. This is one of the largest sized barrels used to craft wine”
Great Wine News, undated
greatwinenews.com/dictionary/?dictionary=hogshead

Because this website deals with wine ONLY, the volume here is for wine alone (not beer, that is).
(iii) barrel
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel
(or cask; section 2.1.3 Sherry: Sherry is stored in 600-litre casks that are made of North American oak, which is slightly more porous than French or Spanish oak)
(iv) English wine cask units
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_wine_cask_units
(section 1 Units)

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(c) “Investors are bidding up prices of rare single-malt Scotches from distillers such as Macallan, Bowmore, and Dalmore, and Japan’s Karuizawa and Yamazaki. In January, Sotheby’s sold a 6-liter Lalique decanter of Macallan ‘M’ single malt—one of only four made—for a record HK$4.9 million.”
(i) The Macallan distillery
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Macallan_distillery
(a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Craigellachie, Moray[, scotland])
(ii) Bowmore
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowmore
(Gaelic for 'great sea reef'; a village; gives its name to the famous Bowmore Distillery producing Bowmore Single Malt)
(iii) Dalmore distillery
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalmore_distillery
(in Alness, Scotland)
(iv) Karuizawa distillery  軽井沢蒸溜所
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karuizawa_distillery
(located at Miyota, a town in Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture  長野県北佐久郡 御代田町)

A neighboring town within the same district is Karuizawa  軽井沢町.

(d) “A standard bottle of Glenfiddich spends 12 years in the cask and investment grade Scotches many more.”

Glenfiddich
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenfiddich
(Glenfiddich means ‘Valley of the Deer' in Scottish Gaelic, hence the presence of a stag symbol on Glenfiddich bottles)
(e) “Rising demand for rare malts prompted Rickesh Kishnani, the chief executive officer of Platinum Wines 香港優質葡萄酒投資公司 in Hong Kong, to launch the world’s first whisky fund, in June, after raising $4 million.”