In 1992 I first visited Japan. I actually lived in Japan in the early 2000s. Then in 2016 I was invited to Japan again. So my trip in March of 2026 marks the fourth decade I have travelled to Japan…

Two years after touring whisky distilleries in Scotland, and almost ten years after touring Yoichi Distillery in Hokkaido Japan, I returned to Japan to tour twelve more distilleries to learn more about how whisky, shochu and even gin is made…

Thankful to be going on vacation in less than 48 hours, it is a testament to how busy I’ve been that I’ve barely blogged about it and did considerably less planning than I did for my trip to Scotland two years ago…

In 2024 I finally made it to Scotland. I travelled North through the Highlands touring whisky distilleries on the way. Finally I made it to MacKay Country. Then I pushed further North to Orkney before flying South to Edinburgh to storm the castle. Eventually however I had to return to Calgary Alberta…

Now I’m not a whisky fanatic. I drink a whisky every now and then. I buy bottles and dutifully let them collect dust. However as I learned while planning this trip, somethings are closed in Scotland between October and April 1st, but apparently not whisky distilleries…