Kakubin 43% Retro Label x Bar Rockfish

Post by Stefan of Tokyo Whisky Hub

Bar Rockfish in the Ginza district of Tokyo probably doesn’t need an introduction, but just in case you haven’t heard of it… well, it’s the whisky highball mecca. They serve it in the Kansai-style – as perfected at Samboa in Osaka – which is: no ice, glass chilled (in the freezer!), whisky chilled, soda chilled and a squeeze of lemon peel. More than 90% of the orders at Rockfish are highballs of this type and “master” Kazunari Maguchi (see him at work here) is very particular about his highballs. He swears by the old, now rare 43%abv yellow-label Kakubin (the present, regular version is the 40%abv yellow-label one, which is ubiquitous here in Japan). When Suntory discontinued the 43% yellow-label type, Maguchi started scouring mom-and-pop stores all over the country to make sure he had the stocks to continue making his Rockfish highball. Now, Suntory is paying tribute to Rockfish with this special edition, featuring a retro label, bottled at 43%abv and with the old flavour profile. Word is it’s only available at Aeon group malls/supermarkets. It went on sale today, so I quickly drove to the nearest Aeon after work and was lucky enough to be able to intercept a case before the staff in the liquor section were going to put the bottles on the racks. It’s priced at 1,598 yen but it’s not clear what the outturn is, how long it will be available, and whether it is, in fact, available at Aeons nationwide. Also, you won’t find these Aeons in the big cities - they’re usually located on the outskirts and in the countryside - so this may be the perfect excuse to get in touch with your family, in-laws, ex-boy/girlfriends, old classmates, or whoever else is not enjoying the big-city life here in Japan.