Originally Posted by AndyYamazaki

I’m living in Kyoto and regularly check quite a few stores in the area as well as in Osaka, sometimes on a daily basis, and have enough trouble as it is just finding some of my favorite NAS bottles for MSRP.
A few days ago I went into a Kyoto Yamaya asking for the new Yoichi Apple Brandy Wood Finish and the salesclerk went to the glass case and started digging in the back among some bottles hidden behind the others and as I started getting excited, he pulled out a regular Yoichi NAS. “It’s the last one,” he said. Well, it’s one of my favorite daily drinkers so I bought it anyways but this just goes to show how hard it is to find the good bottles. And also how important it is to be polite and ask for that bottle. They do keep stuff hidden away for regular customers. But if you ask for Yamazaki 18, you’re most likely to be laughed at.
I second the advice that, if visiting for a short term, it’s probably in one’s best interest to hit up some of the whisky bars instead of running around looking for bottles, because I have never seen Yamazaki 18 anywhere near retail in Kansai. Trust me, I’ve been looking.
If you want to drink whisky on the cheap while the distilleries are closed, I highly recommend the small tasting bar in the Isetan Department Store liquor area at Kyoto station. They have a pretty good selection and sometimes a bottle of something interesting can be found for MSRP. There’s also a BIC camera a close walk away. Again, never seen Y18 though.

Any additional tips in the Kansai area would be kindly appreciated via here or PM.