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The story
A thread titled “Recommend me a whisky that’s great as a highball, neat, or on the rocks” popped up on 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyo G board. The poster said they only knew Black Nikka and Jack Daniel’s, and replies poured in with everything from standards like Ballantine’s, Jim Beam, and Maker’s Mark to Chivas Regal’s Mizunara 12 Year.
Two points sparked debate: whether making a highball with expensive whisky is a “waste,” and how to rate Suntory’s Kaku bottle. Because Kaku strips out character to appeal to everyone, it’s often dismissed as “underwhelming” — though some called it “a great-value premium whisky,” and opinions split down the middle.
What people said
But cutting it with lemon-flavored sparkling water? That was actually great.
Though it loses to Honey neat.
What about Jim Beam?
If you're mixing it, just use whatever you like.
Thanks. Is it a safe bet?
Take a lesson from Iichiko's reliability (a popular Japanese shochu brand), you clown.
Wait, really?! Had no idea.
Beyond that it's all down to taste — you'll have to find your own favorite.
❌ 口州
⭕ 甲州 (same reading, wrong kanji — fixing the typo)
So Japanese-made ones are iffy? That old guy on Twitter only ever brings up Suntory Kaku.
It's a waste, but it's delicious.
Is there really that much of a difference?
No idea which one, but one of these should hit the spot. Don't know the prices.
What even is this…
It's probably sold at the supermarket.
Just trust me and give it a try.
Would that fit the thread title?
It's a blended whisky.
Back in the day it was a joke-tier bottle around 5,000 yen, but since it's a limited domestic release from 20 years ago, the price has gone crazy now.
"Mystery" really is a mystery LOLLLLLL
Bourbon, malt, Irish, Scotch — I don't really get what any of these mean.
All I know is I keep seeing some cool bald guy in movies knocking back Irish or Scotch and looking like it's amazing.
Probably Irish, going by the peaty smell.
Honestly, if there's a word you don't get, just Google it first.
Bourbon, Irish, and Scotch are whisky categories based on region of origin. Just understand roughly that each region has its own flavor tendencies.
Malt refers to the malted barley used as a whisky ingredient.
Something like I.W. Harper or Maker's Mark — those are good no matter how you drink them.
I've been mixing Jack Daniel's or Black Nikka with Coca-Cola Zero.
Which cola you mix it with is just personal preference, honestly doesn't matter.
I figured you were fine with that distinctive bourbon sweetness, so I recommended Re: #50.
A highball made with good whisky really is delicious, right?
I never buy the small bottles so I wouldn't know. It's gone in a day, so the trash piles up.
Is it really as good as they say?
Probably because it's reliably decent.
My dad used to drink it, so I just can't get into it — it reminds me of him.
It's got kind of an "old man" image, so I deliberately don't want to buy it.
From what I see online — YouTube and the like — something like The Busker seems like a safe pick.
You end up like that if you drink Torys every day (a cheap, everyday Suntory whisky).
So is Kaku just cheap and lame, or is that not really true? There's way too much depth and too many varieties, I can't keep up~
If you're used to drinking rock-bottom whisky, Kaku looks like a great-value premium whisky.
Whether it's lame or not aside — it's a whisky thoroughly stripped of character to appeal to everyone. So the lack of a distinct flavor often gets read as "underwhelming."
Bourbon tends to run expensive.
…φ(･ω･｀)ﾒﾓﾒﾓ (jotting that down)
Jim Beam's cheap though.
Background and key points of this discussion
Whisky is categorized by region of origin into types like Scotch, bourbon, and Irish, while “malt” refers to the malted barley used as an ingredient — a separate axis of classification from region. Suntory’s Kaku bottle, which split opinion in the thread, is designed as a blended whisky built for easy drinkability, so compared to whiskies with strong personality, its “lack of character” gets read both as “underwhelming” and as “an easy-to-handle, great-value option.” Whether it’s right to turn an expensive whisky into a highball also has no industry-standard answer — it’s easy to mistake this for more than just a matter of personal taste. And since bourbon’s ingredients tend to bring out a strong natural sweetness, recommending it to people used to sweeter drinks like cola mixes was also a practical point.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “🥃Recommend me a whisky that’s great as a highball, neat, or on the rocks.”
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