I’ll never forget LOST IN TRANSLATION, seeing Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray adrift in Tokyo, and of course Murray’s big line, “It’s Suntory Time.”

Well Suntory’s time is definitely upon us. A few years ago they bought Jim Beam for US$16bn, and we calculate that the price of their premium whiskies has gone up nearly 3000%.

Worldwide, the dialectic of fine whisky has swung in favor of Suntory’s products, and last night we tasted 8 of them at a dinner whose production value no wine company could ever imagine, proof that Suntory knows how to put on a show.

The whole affair was installed on the 9th floor of a giant department store. We began with a photo op, and then beautiful attendants guided us through a Suntory museum depicting the 100+ year history of the brand, to a bar where we all enjoyed highballs and shots of several expressions of aged Suntory whisky.

After an interlude we moved to a giant dining room with two concentric long tables. I tried to count the number of guests, probably about 60. The room was dark except the dining surfaces, and on three walls ultra-wide videos played clips of mountainous forests in Japan, rushing water, gurgling fermentation, volcanoes and barrels and whisky on ice. Poetic and philosophical aphorisms scrolled gently across to set the mood.

Our old friend and student Johnnie Su is now Suntory’s Brand Manager, and he stood up with Roger Chen, the Marketing Manager, to lead us through the subtle distinctions of their already subtle expressions.

Suntory whisky is crafted for the Japanese palate, which means lighter body and lighter flavors, expressions that rely less on power, more on finesse.

My favorite was the Yamazaki 18 Years Old Mizunara Anniversary tradition, a single malt aged entirely in Mindunara oak from Japan. I thought I could still sense the Yamazaki character, but it also showed a hint of sandalwood I’ve never experienced before.

The food was also excellent, as you can see. I heard that Cha Cha Thé Restaurant set up an entire restaurant kitchen in the department store just for this event, and they say Suntory has toured this show all over the world, though my guess is that the Taiwan audience brings a uniquely high level of whisky discernment to these quintessentially Japanese expressions.