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Bar Benfiddich

Tokyo

In an unfashionable corner of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, up on the 9th floor of a slim sliver of a building, you’ll find a wooden door that creaks open to reveal the 17-seat salon of Hiroyasu Kayama. Here, sprigs of dried wormwood, jars of botanicals and vintage liquors and spirits galore set the scene for a drinking experience like no other.

In true Japanese style, there is no menu. Guests give a parameter or two, perhaps a favourite spirit, then let Kayama’s inspiration run wild supported by a near-invisible support team who appear from the shadows to hand Kayama a desired ingredient with almost preternatural speed. What he serves often depends on what is in peak condition on the vast farm he runs an hour’s drive from the bar. That is where he grows yuzu, grape vines, watermelons, hop vines, all manner of shrubs and bushes and 150 juniper trees. It is also where he makes his exceptional absinthe, which fans of that category should request.

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