ralfy review 1021 Extras - More about Yoichi. 

Brilliant video. I do not feel comfortable chasing after whisky because of fear the price will go out of reach. I’m glad to get great insight from you Ralfy and hopefully I will be able to get great affordable whisky to enjoy. Once it is expensive it dulls my pleasure. You were the genuine whisky guru tonight. As I said - brilliant.

Man I love videos like this ! You might be talking about whisky but you can take your observations and they will help you understand other topics. Your interdisciplinary analysis rocks !

I wasn't going to watch this, but glad that I did. I learned a lot. Cheers Ralfy.

Love it when whisk(e)y knowledge digresses into philosophy of life somehow. Well done, Ralfy! ❤

We found this VERY INTERESTING!! Bravo dear Ralfy. Thanks 🙏 and kindest regards, Sandro

Good Evening 😊 Awesome review once again 💯 Have a wonderful day and enjoy your pour 🥃 Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦

Always a wonderful evening having your weighty whisky musings to keep company. My first foray into Japanese whisky was at a small local brewery near me in Connecticut. The owner/master brewer was curating interesting spirits as part of the bar selection. I asked what the hullabaloo was with Japanese whisky (this was only back in 2016 I believe) and he brought two over: one was a Suntory that had an age statement and the other was a bottle of this Yoichi which happened to be the cheaper option (years later, I understand why, what with an age stated Yamazaki or the like is asking for these days $$$$) But yet that Yoichi took me on a ride I havent yet forgotten. The unexpected ups and downs and left and right turns from a single sip was an absolute revelation. "Whisky can do THIS!?" I thought to myself. Ive become much less impressionable these days but the journey in that glass was one Im still greatful for having experienced. Cheers to you Ralfy.

Visited the Yoichi Distillery last year and enjoyed the trip very much. Was interesting seeing coal-fired distillation taking place and the tour/museum were both very good. They covered a lot of what Ralfy discussed in this Extra. Would recommend if you visit Hokkaido.

One of your all time great Extras ! Many thanks Ralfy

Love the passion Ralfy. You are the one the majority of people trust, and the main reason I have no money. Keep it going.

Went there in 2009 and had the place to myself, wonderful experience and hospitality, highly recommended. Really miss the Hokkaido Pure Malt they used to produce, absolute bargain at 2200 yen duty free.

It is spring 2024 and the price has officially gone up here in Japan. No word on whether it will be the same round the globe but I hope everyone can still enjoy their favorite dram. Cheers

Well done (professor) Ralfy. What a learned educator you are to the provenance of world spirits. Nick from York

I do find it interesting. Fascinating more like. Thanks Ralfy.

Fascinating video Ralfy if a little depressing, I have been a fan of Japanese whisky for a number of years after a chance stumbling on a bottle of Miyagikyo 10 year old, I loved it, cherished it and drank it as a bit of a oddball in the industry, (Back then I paid £27 for it) since then I have collected a few bottles of various Japanese distillery whisky that I have researched and love from the likes of Mars, Nikka, Suntory and countless others. Unfortunately over the last 10 or so years of travelling to Japan I have seen the place stripped of anything of value or quality, Collectors literally abusing the Japanese kindness and emptying shelf’s, Of course a lot of manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon with very unspectacular “special editions” rushed out to meet demand and a few retailers buying up anything with a good name by the pallet load and adding + 200% markup for the western world. It has got to the point now where the lovely small family run liquor shops hate the sight of tourists approaching, they have signs in the window saying “no hibiki” and the manufacturers are importing generic whisky to bottle and call there own to grab the quick buck. It’s a crying shame, Just like the over tourism in Japan. They want the custom they want people to enjoy it but as a people we just flood the place and strip it of any soul. Hopefully a distillery like Nikka can maintain that soul and not jump to hard onto the bandwagon. I have given up even trying to find whisky in Japan any more, I will let them reset and recompose and see where they go from here

I agree with you about self-destructive tribal human behavior. How limited our species is in its thinking. :(

4:45 the first time I tried Sake I was extremely disappointed. I was expecting something exotic (as a result from anime influences) but what I got was flat watery beer.

Very interesting! I have not yet tried Japanese Whisky but it's definitely on the agenda. One of the things I really love about whisky is the way it carries a sense of place with it. Probably Islay and the Islands show that the strongest, but every whisky does in its own way. You see this quite clearly in American Single Malts as they have the familiar malt flavor, but vastly different cask influence. If I happen to run across something from Yoichi that I can afford, I'll definitely give it a try, with an eye toward seeing what coastal Japan tastes like.

Whenever you are threatened by power, give them the Ukrainian Salute. I don't need to quote it.

After all these years you a still remain to be quite a mysterious character. Would you ever be open to a Q&A? For example I would love to know how you eneded up on the Isle Of Man, Is the Bothy an entire unit or a sort of out house? Do you work or retired, if the latter what did you do? You have talked about being in various parts of the world here and there and that interests me...

I found this video extremely interesting.

Ralfy Rants for President! 🙃

@elduderino3120 0 seconds ago If the cask-quality is so integral to Scotch, would it be possible for a distillery to make its own barrels, and then char & season them with whatever they want to (thus controlling the quality of casks and keeping the costs down)?

Interestingly enough, I have been sipping on some Macaloney's Washington Peat Project while watching this video... Slàinte Mhath!

Chi, blessings, and ritual! Tell us about magnets again!

Chichibu The Peated is AMAZING and for the majority of their bottlings you will need to go to Japan. Kanosuke likewise. Ichiro's you will find outside of Japan but again the best bottlings will be Japan only.

Can someone recommend an unpeated Japanese single malt of comparable quality?

MM: Mellifluous munificent merry maltodextrin.

WW1 was fucking evil... here from your tech brother

I may be in the minority, but the passive aggressive keyboard warrior Ralfy Character needs his own channel.