Ginza

Japanese Whisky Tasting Experience at Local Bar in Tokyo

Name: Japanese Whisky Tasting Experience at Local Bar in Tokyo
Brand: Japan Awaits
SKU: 27666P11
Price: 170.84 USD
Rating: 5.0 (47 reviews)

Tokyo, Japan

Japanese Aged Whisky Tasting Experience at Local Bar in Tokyo

From $170.84

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.

2 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Learn the ins and outs of one of Japan’s most delectable spirits—Japanese whisky—during this small-group tasting experience. Join a private guide to drink like a true Tokyo resident at a locally-run bar, where you’ll get an insider’s run-down of Japan’s most esteemed labels. Enjoy samples that are usually costly and difficult to find, including award-winning bottles of aged whisky, in this under-the-radar watering hole.

An insider’s whisky tasting tour in a Tokyo bar of Japan’s finest aged labels
Small-group tours are capped, guaranteeing an intimate and personalized experience
Discover a favorite insider’s spot, and soak up the hip atmosphere of a locally-run Tokyo bar
Sample whiskies that are usually difficult to find and very expensive, all part of the tasting tour

What's Included

Beverages/ Whisky tasting
Professional guide
Alcoholic Beverages
Gratuities

Add-on Food Tour (if selected)
Private experience (if selected)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

MCM GINZA HAUS1
Japan, 104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo City, Ginza, 2-chōme5１１, V88 Building, B12F
The exact direction to the meeting point will be provided after booking. Please check your message through Viator.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Ginza (Pass By)

Yurakucho

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
A current valid passport or identification card is required on the day of travel (proof of age may be required at bars)
Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
Dress code is smart casual
Location change: in some cases, if the local bars in Ginza are not available, the location may be changed but will still be within Central Tokyo. We will notify you of the change within 7 days prior to the event date, unless otherwise specified.
Minimum age is 20 years (drinking age in Japan)
Smoking: please be aware that many establishments, especially bars, will allow smoking in Japan
What is Japanese whisky?
Whisky may not be originally from Japan, but recent years saw the world taking notice of whisky bottles coming out of the country. Japanese whisky brands Suntory and Nikka, etc., have now joined the ranks of its Scottish counterparts in terms of quality ratings and popularity.

What kinds of Japanese whisky will I be tasting?
The whisky selection will be different each day, depending on availability. Some examples are: Chita, Yamazaki 12, Hakushyu 18, Hibiki Blender’s Choice, Yamazaki 1982, and other whisky.
In this 2 hour small group Japanese whisky tasting tour, visit a local bar with your tour guide to taste various types of Japanese whisky (4 – 5 short glasses, depending on availability) and learn about the subtleties and differences of these different brands, how the whiskies are aged and what sets the Japanese whisky apart from others around the world. You will also be able to experience what a local bar in Tokyo feels like, as you enjoy the atmosphere, talk to the bartender (with the help of your English-speaking tour guide) and sip on your chilled whisky (spelled “whisky” not “whiskey” in Japan). Some rare Japanese aged whisky may be available for purchase (not included) at the bar for guests interested
Please note that this tour will be at a local bar only, and does NOT include a distillery tour.
Moderate Cancellation Policy
100% refund for cancellations made up to 4 days before the start time of the experience. Cancellations made after that time period will receive no refund
How far in advance should I book?Preparing an event requires some time, especially if reservations for restaurants or other venues are required. We recommend making a reservation as early as possible. Ideally, it should be 2 weeks before your travel date, or 5 days before the travel date at the very least. We may not be able to arrange your event in time so your booking request may be cancelled and you will receive a full refund.
Why am I charged a service fee if I make a cancellation after you started planning the trip?
Organizing and planning a trip or event requires a lot of time and if we have made reservations on your behalf, it may be very challenging to cancel some booking requests. Once we receive your booking and will start arranging your tour guide, buying tickets, making reservations at venues for your tour, etc.
If you cancel the tour any time after we have sent you event details, the service fee of 15% of your total tour cost will be nonrefundable.
If your cancellation falls within the fees applied to the Standard Cancellation Policy, the service fee of 15% will no longer take effect. You will only be responsible for the cancellation fee specified in the Standard Cancellation Policy. Please carefully review the terms and conditions specified on the checkout page.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

47 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 47 reviews

Seizo was a great guide!...

Shanice_F, Feb 2024

Seizo was a great guide! He explained the history of Whisky’s and we tried 5 great Japanese Whisky along with some great conversation. He gave us great recommendations for our onward journey in Tokyo. He also was super helpful with accompanying us to the metro station and showing us how to purchase day passes. Thank you for the wonderful experience Seizo :)

First Time in Tokyo

Sharan_N, Feb 2024

My husband and I had a wonderful time on this tour and learned a lot about Japanese whisky. Our tour guide was very informative and knowledgeable!

amazing tour

BOSHENG_B, Oct 2023

the whiskey and food are great, the guide is excellent and very knowledgeable, but the solo tour might not be worth it just for the price they are at, and unfortunately there weren't any group trip when I arrived.

Will Work for Japanese Whisky

Scott_A, Oct 2023

Our evening with Izumi was very nice. Our tour included the food option, so we had a chance to sit down at 2 different restaurants. The second restaurant, under the rumbling train tracks, had this super-charged atmosphere that made it alive and fun. Plus, we got a chance to talk 'sake' before we talked whiskey. The food was ok. The final stop, the night's highlight, was a beautiful, dark-paneled whiskey bar where we got to sip 4 different kinds of delicious Japanese whiskey -- Made me a believer. #yum

Single location tastings - my feet were so grateful to sit after other tours

Nicole_G, Oct 2023

Spent some time sipping on hard-to-find local whiskeys in a cool bar with fun strangers we met through the tour. Very smooth whiskey in a chill place - definitely recommend after a busy day of touring in Tokyo!

Great tour and guide....

Jason_D, Sep 2023

Great tour and guide. Very knowledgeable, i would recommend to any one looking to try Japanese whiskys.

Amazing authentic experience in Japan

Jerome_R, Aug 2023

I had an amazing time with my guide Shun Moriyama. Thanks to him I was able to explore many different foods and drinks, as well as learn a lot about the Japanese culture and history. Shun was a very friendly guide and very knowledgeable on many subjects, I was very fortunate to get to do this experience. 10/10 I highly recommend this to to anyone looking for a great time as well as a great cultural experience.

Lovely excursion, highly recommend.

Terra_G, Jun 2023

We had a lot of fun. We were expecting to go to a few bars and we only went to one, but we didn’t mind. Great atmosphere, historic review of whiskey, and awesome conversation.

Fantastic Whisky & Dinner Tour

Michael_P, May 2023

Amazing food (we were the only tourists in the restaurant) and fantastic whisky with history of each. Shunsuke, our guide, was wonderful and took us to places we otherwise wouldn’t have found and had great energy. Very fun!

An Awesome Alternative to a Distillery Tour

Ashley_O, Apr 2023

We did this tour when we missed our chance to see Suntory Yamazaki in Kyoto, and it was definitely worth it! Our guide helped us pick a wide range of very high quality Japanese whisky to sample and compare (and we paired them with some seasonal pickles, which was fun). It was a lot of fun in a very hidden spot in Gion - would never have found it on our own!

Great experience

CAROLS7595, Jan 2020

If you decide to take this tour I hope you'll get Mack for your guide. He was knowledgeable about the local food and great locations. In addition, his knowledge about the whiskey enhanced our experience.

An amazing experience with a wonderful guide

maelliott215, Jan 2020

Makoto (Mack) provided our group with knowledgeable and historical insights and most importantly a fantastic look into the whisky business in Japan. Thank you, Mack!

Well worth the money and time

Daniel_C, Jul 2018

I tried this activity with my brother just thinking we were going to be drinking japanese whiskey and that would be it but it turned out to be more than that! Our guide was amazing in every way he explained every fact about the whiskey and he also chatted about daily life in japan, he also gave us advice on japanese etiquette and language to summarize this trip I have to say it was well worth it and I highly recommend our guide Kazuo Teramoto

My husband and I are whiskey...

desireeteoh, May 2018

My husband and I are whiskey afficianados. We even made the long journey to Miyagikyo for the Nikka Distillery tour and tasting there. In North America we are part of whisky clubs and frequent multiple tastings sponsored by our local liquor store which just also happens to be the second largest distributor and seller of whiskys in the world. Needless to say we love our whiskys. I would highly recommend this tour. It is done via Japan Awaits and the tour guide, Gary is amazing. His knowledge of the whisky's are not as deep as others who we have associated with, but this only added to the allure as we felt we were discovering the whisky's together. We did this tour in conjunction with the Ebisu Food Tour which I also really enjoyed. The combination is perfect expensive, but the food quality was very high and the combination of food and whiskey perfect. We even had time to go to a small local bar for cocktails in Ebisu not in the tour which was so quant and all about the essence of an intimate, small tour. If we hadn't gone to Ebisu for the food tour, we would also have missed out on the visiting the local Kinokuniya Liquor store there which sold the only Hibiki 18y small tasters only we could find on our visit to Japan nor get to purchase Wakatsuru's Moon Glow first release. This Whiskey experience was held in a small bar in Ginza. Won't say the name as its so perfect I don't wish to spoil it will mass groups. The range and breadth of the tasting was excellent. We had whiskey's we knew about and dreamt of tasting, and better yet, whiskeys that we would not normally be available to us as it is only available from direct from distillery. I felt my knowledge and experience was truly changed by this tour. Thank you so much Gary for understanding us, and finishing so strong on our perfect day in Tokyo.

My wife and I were really interested in...

Nicolas Murphy, Feb 2018

My wife and I were really interested in this Whiskey Tasting tour when we read about it. We wanted to go to the Yamazaki Distillery but since we were only visiting Tokyo we didn't have a chance to go to the distillery. We were so happy to find this tour so we can try different aged whiskies and also enjoyed learning about Japanese whiskey more from our private tour guide, Sue. Sue was a very great tour guide. She used to live in the US so she was very fluent in English and was very easy to understand and follow. She took us to a local bar that specialized in aged whiskey and we were able to try Yamazaki, Chita and Hibiki. Some of these drinks were also very rare. Sue was very knowledgeable about whiskey and I learned a lot during this tour and had a great chat with her on her life in Japan compared to when she as in America. My wife and I loved the atmosphere at the bar as it was very local and there were no other foreigners in there besides us. We had a great time on the tour and enjoyed the conversations we had. This is a tour we recommend for people who want to try different whiskey or want an alternative to going to breweries or crowded clubs and bars in Tokyo.