The best whiskey I'll ever have

Kyoto felt right as soon as we exited the train station. Arriving from Tokyo, our senses were high from the intensity of the worlds’ most electrifying city. But Kyoto was slower. It’s charming. Don’t get me wrong, you brush shoulders with plenty of tourists there, but it still pulses with an old world energy.

As we walked the slim, pristine streets of the city, we veered down a silent path that was lined with flowers. Google identified ‘a bar’ at the end of it. Taking a chance on the sliding paper door in the building at the end of the garden. We slid it to the side which revealed a small room and even smaller circular like bar. A bar with room for just 8 patrons seated. I made the mistake of mentioning the smoke from the cigarettes that hit us the moment we slid that door. I thought I whispered it and that only my friend could hear. But everyone inside the bar heard over the absolute silence that washed over the place. They put the cigarettes out without another word. Because it’s Japan, and they think of politeness first. I instantly felt awful. The bartender was surprised by our presence at the door. He raised his hands in an effort to greet us. With child-like excitement, he invited us to sit at the crescent shaped bar. I apologized in English to the other patrons and thanked them in Japanese (my few words) twice or three times as we awkwardly settled into seats and hung our jackets on the wall. The bar was dark. Otherwise they would have had a better view of the sincerity in my apologies as my cheeks now glowed a bright red shade of shame.

The bartender started talking to us with quiet smiles and a clear happiness that we had chosen to join him and the other patrons. He was determined to open our palates to Japanese whiskey with a courtesy taste of his favorites. We soon settled on two different pours, done neat. He taught us more about the whiskeys as the night progressed. The other guests relaxed around the eight person wooden bar. They were so kind and curious. Each one of them graciously open to translating in English as much as they could so we could all join one conversation. My friend and I practiced our very, very limited Japanese vocabulary.

They asked us how we found the location down the alley... ‘we don’t get too many western visitors back here in the bar’. They told us about their lives in Kyoto and we told them about ours in New York. It was a night of perfection and wonder and new friends. I never knew exactly which brand or age of whiskey I had sipped that night. But I have no doubt it will stand out as the best whiskey I’ll ever have.

Location: 文久 - Bar Bunkyu