Unraveling the mystery of the canned highball 鈥淎zabu鈥.
During a recent visit to a liquor store in Japan we spied something unusual on the shelf 鈥 a canned whisky highball called 鈥淎zabu鈥. This instantly sparked a memory, as we recalled seeing a bottled version of 鈥淎zabu鈥 somewhere before, but we鈥檇 never seen it in a can so we picked it up for a closer look.
While the name immediately conjures up images of Azabu in Tokyo, a high-class area that鈥檚 home to embassies, international schools, and Sailor Moon, we found something rather unusual when we looked at the back of the can 鈥 it was made by Aichi-based Cheerio Chubu and distributed by Osaka-based company With One, so it didn鈥檛 seem to have any Tokyo connection at all.
Still, the Azabu name lent a sophisticated, high-class air to the highball, and the label echoed this sentiment with the words, 鈥淎 masterpiece in pursuit of the ultimate highball鈥. However, the label also reads, 鈥淎 blend of Scotch whisky and carefully selected whiskies from around the world, blended with spring water from Mt Fuji鈥, so it鈥檚 not truly a pure Japanese whisky.
This was a confusing mash of facts to comprehend, so we decided to put the highball to the test, picking up a couple of cans for 396 yen (US$2.73) each and taking them home for a taste. Cracking open a can, we were met by a satisfying 鈥減sshh鈥 as the air was released, sending a faint smoky aroma wafting up to the nostrils. Pouring the drink into a glass, we saw it had a yellowish hue typical of a highball.
Taking a sip, it wasn鈥檛 as smoky as the aroma suggested, with just a gentle hint that made it incredibly easy to drink. There was a bright, fruity note with a subtle toasty flavour, and it was relatively light with a clean taste and no jarring quirks, making for a tasty tipple. While it was nice on its own, we imagine it鈥檇 go nicely with a meal, and when we closed our eyes, we were able to imagine the fancy scenery of Azabu.
With Azabu in our mind鈥檚 eye, we were reminded of the puzzling mystery behind the drink鈥檚 name. The inconsistency between product name, manufacturer, and distributor was something we needed to get to the bottom of, so we put in a call to the distributor and received the following reply.
鈥淭he canned highball 鈥楢zabu鈥 originally stems from 鈥楢zabu Pure Malt Whisky鈥, which was co-developed with a company headquartered in Azabu-Juban, Tokyo. We chose the name 鈥楢zabu鈥 because the area encapsulates a sophisticated urban culture and high aesthetic sensibilities, which matches the image we wanted for the product.鈥
The representative went on to say that the popularity of the pure malt whisky led them to make the canned highball, with Cheerio Chubu chosen as the trusted manufacturing partner. Through this collaboration, the canned highball 鈥淎zabu鈥 was born.
So in the end, we discovered that the product name 鈥淎zabu鈥 does indeed refer to the posh area of Tokyo in which Azabu-Juban resides, and after tasting the highball we can confidently say the sophisticated image of the neighbourhood is a good fit for the sophisticated taste of the drink.
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