Kazuhiko Kato -- San-ji ni Whiskey（3時にウイスキー）

 

I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means; never really got into the taste of the fermented grain mash liquor. But obviously, the Japanese got into it considering all of those Suntory commercials that I got to see over the years on television. The setting is very similar. Get one or two of those movie/TV stars and place them into some classy setting whether it be a restaurant or a distillery before overemphasizing the glub, glub, glub of the drink going into the tumblers. Viewers will be dashing to the liquor store or cabinet and checking for ice in the freezer.

If I'd known about this song beforehand, I would have automatically included it in my "Alcohol Kayo" list from November 29th. But still, I'm glad that it could get its own article on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". This is "San-ji ni Whiskey" (Whiskey at 3) by late singer-songwriter Kazuhiko Kato（加藤和彦）from his February 1991 album "Bolero California"（ボレロ・カリフォルニア）.

About a month ago, I first mentioned this concept album via the first track "Just a Symphony"（ジャスト・ア・シンフォニー）, and to reiterate, Kato and his wife, lyricist Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）, had wanted to show off whatever happened to the denizens of the iconic "Hotel California" by The Eagles. Apparently, they are all living the life of Riley, and according to the second track "San-ji ni Whiskey", they are all sipping away at their Suntory or Laphroaig Triple Wood while waxing nostalgic. I'm assuming that the 3 o'clock in the title is the afternoon, but hey, I'm not judging on one's drinking time.

"San-ji ni Whiskey" is a fairly interesting blend with the overseas Latin flavour from the orchestra while Kato throws out "whiskey" in that slightly affected pronunciation so often that I wouldn't be surprised if the song had been used in a whiskey commercial. There's something even rather familiar and nostalgic in the melody itself right from the first several seconds.