Originally Posted by
jpdx
Here are my observations from a 3-week trip all over Japan, which included visits to over three dozen liquor stores:
- Availability of liquors with age statement is tight. Most independently run stores I visited had nothing at all in stock. I assume what limited supplies they get is reserved for their regular customers. Big national chains are your best bet.
- Finding stuff is a matter of luck. On my trip, I saw almost no Hibiki 12, a good amount of Hakushu 12 and Yamazaki 12, a bit of Hibiki 17, the occasional Yamazaki 18 and Hakushu 18, and even some Yamazaki 25, Hibiki 21, Hibiki 30, and Nikka 40. Nikka 12 is available almost everywhere.
- There is really no standard price, and the differences between the lowest and highest prices can be 30-50%. For instance, the range for Nikka 12 was 4.5k to 6.9k, for Hibiki 17, 12k-15.8k, for Yamazaki 18, 24.8k-45.8k, for Nikka 40, 500k-780k.
- Generally, the best deals for mid-range stuff (12/17/18) can be had at Don Quijote and BIC Camera. Chains like Liquor Mountain generally have much higher prices on mid-range stuff, but often also have much better availability of high-end stuff (if at eye watering prices, e.g., Hibiki 30 @ 298k).
- Prices vary by location even within the same chain. Platinum Donki in Shirokanedai had Yamazaki 12 for 8980, but at Donki Fukuoka the same product ran 11.9k. Conversely, Nikka 12 was cheaper in Fukuoka than Tokyo. The Liquor Mountain in Kyoto (near Hyatt) had the best availability of any store I visited, but prices were much higher there than at their Shinjuku location.
- It’s completely unpredictable what a store will have in stock; often, there’s nothing at all, but sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Generally, if a store has a line of 80 people waiting for tax free processing, don’t expect to find anything.
- If you aren’t buying gifts, 50ml bottles are available much more widely and often will be better value than full size bottles. Many stores that have no full size bottles will have dozens of minis, and somehow the pricing of these hasn’t kept up with the big bottles. I saw Hibiki 17 as low as 680 (=9520 for .7l, about 2.5k less than the cheapest full size bottle).
- Unless you have the time to visit dozens of stores, you’ll have to buy whatever you can get. If you see Hakushu/Yamazaki 12 around 10k, Hibiki 17 around 12k, or Hakushu/Yamazaki 18 around 25k, don’t hesitate to buy. You may find them slightly cheaper elsewhere, but unless you visit a ton of stores, there’s a real chance that you won’t see any more supplies of the stuff you passed up.
- As others have pointed out, you may find decent stock and prices outside Japan. I can get Hakushu/Yamazaki 18 in Portland @ $250 – 10% more than the cheapest I saw in Japan, but almost half of the most expensive. And no hours of shopping around required, although, as you can probably tell, I enjoyed the hunt.