
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — 1/60 sec, f/4, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
“7,000 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...”
me, photographing samples of whisky (not beer, that was here)
at the Suntory Whisky Distillery (スントリー山崎ウイスキー工場) in Yamazaki Japan
photo by Paul Barr

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 4500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lightly Dusting a Bottle

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
6,999 To Go...
Going back into my archives again, to last April's visit to the Suntory Whisky Distillery in Yamazaki, 20 minutes south of Kyoto. It's Japan's oldest whisky distillery, and offers free tours daily.
Here's one photo to remind you of the initial post...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/60 sec, f/1.4, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Recent Stock
just 13 years old
One thing I didn't cover in that is the photogenic “Whisky Museum”, housing more than 7,000 samples of whisky and assorted spirits taken over the years.

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Vatted Malt
whatever that is

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Rich Colors

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/2.2, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Golden

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 4000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Glowy
getting a bit funky with an over-exposed shot

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
From Above
The distillery is near a train station, and you have to cross the tracks near the front gate...

Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Near The Front Gate
toward the station, just around the curve
I don't really care for whisky, but I love the smells around the place, and its very photogenic, so I hope to go again soon (followed immediately by a trip to Suntory's nearby beer brewery, where I do like the product. 🙂 )
I’m curious: are all of these whiskey bottles just a display? Or, do they serve some purpose such as quality control?
I don’t think it’s quality control, but I’m not sure what it’s for. Maybe it’s for future whisky brewmasters (or whatever they’re called) to refer to? I know that these bottles are not in active use that way because they are glued down, but if 100 years from now they want to try to recreate a particular whisky, they can perhaps analyze these samples taken at various stages in the process. Maybe? —Jeffrey
I enjoyed the look at the colorful whiskey bottles.
Now that is one museum I’d like to get lost in.