Have you all made your plans for Golden Week yet?
With up to 12 consecutive days off, some people may be planning to travel abroad.

This time, we'll share an anecdote from Mr. Shimaji's overseas reporting trip.




At the end of August 2013, while Japan was still experiencing hot weather, Shimaji was staying in Scotland, where the temperature was warm enough to wear a down jacket.
This trip is for a report from the Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye, in order to bottling three types of Shimaji bottles that sold out quickly due to their immense popularity.


"What was the Isle of Skye like?" a customer asked.

Shimaji closed his eyes and, as if trying to remember,

"The island is always shrouded in thick fog, and sunny days are rare. It also experiences fierce storms. But the weather was good during my stay."


As expected of Katsuhiko Shimaji, a man of great luck.
Apparently, the Isle of Skye is an island with two sides to it: it's known as the Isle of Mist, Rain, and Wind, but it also has a beautiful lake called the Fairy Pool.

"That interview was for the release of Talisker Storm."




This week's recommended whisky is Talisker Storm. It's a blend of new and old malts from the Talisker distillery. The bottle is named after the "storm" that rages across the Isle of Skye.


Shimaji said, "I pride myself on drinking more Talisker 10 Year Old than anyone else in Japan, but this Storm is also delicious."

The customers, after trying the Storm, commented, "...Delicious. It has a different flavor than the 10-year-old version."

Mr. Shimaji also slowly took a sip of Storm, savoring the aftertaste.

"It has a mild, sweet, and rich taste on the palate, but then the flavor of the sea washes over you like a storm. It truly tastes like a storm."

"The initial taste is like the calm Isle of Skye where Mr. Shimaji stayed, and the ending is like the usual stormy Isle of Skye."

To this, Mr. Shimaji said, "Oh! That's a good point. Now that you mention it, I had dinner with a friend as soon as I got back from this reporting trip, and he showed up looking rather gloomy."
"Maybe it's because you were on the stormy Isle of Skye, but a storm has been raging here since this morning." When I asked what happened,
Apparently, he had a fight with his wife over an affair that happened decades ago.
So I told him, "If you get caught cheating, you won't get a prison sentence, but there's no statute of limitations either. You have to take your secrets to your grave."

Everyone was laughing heartily, but I wonder if some of you could relate?

This week's quote
If you get caught cheating, you won't get a prison sentence, but there's also no statute of limitations.

Photography: Yoshio Uehara

Please try this drink recommended by Mr. Shimaji, which expresses the duality of the Isle of Skye in a beverage.

Profile - Katsuhiko Shimaji


Producer of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Born in 1941. After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University, he joined Shueisha. He was assigned to "Weekly Playboy" and became its editor-in-chief in 1983, where he created a sensation with the "Life Advice" column featuring Renzo Shibata, Toko Kon, and Ken Kaiko as respondents, growing the magazine into a million-copy publication. He later served as editor-in-chief of "PLAYBOY Japan" and "BART." After serving as representative director of Shueisha International, he retired in 2008. He is currently working as a writer and essayist.

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