Distillery

Yamazaki whiskies

Yamazaki is Japan’s first malt whisky distillery, founded by Suntory at the beginning of the 1920s in a valley between Kyoto and Osaka, where three rivers meet. Its malt is one of the most awarded and sought after in the world, and its 12-year-old marked the beginning of Japanese whisky’s international prestige. Its style is rich, fruity and elegant, with a touch of Japanese mizunara oak.

Founded
1923
Owner
Suntory
Origin
Japan
In the catalogue
3 whiskies

History, style and where to startSee it on the world mapYamazaki official website

  • Yamazaki distillery, photo 1 of 3
    Photo: Motokoka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Yamazaki distillery, photo 2 of 3
    Photo: AleGranholm · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Yamazaki distillery, photo 3 of 3
    Photo: Asamboi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)

3 whiskies

Guide to Yamazaki

History

Shinjiro Torii, Suntory’s founder, chose this valley for its water, highly prized in the Japanese tea tradition, and for its humid, misty climate, reminiscent of Scotland’s. The distillery began producing in 1923 and its first whisky came out at the end of that decade. For decades its malt went mainly into the house blends. In the eighties Suntory launched Yamazaki 12 Year Old, one of the first Japanese malts bottled as such. In the following decades its malts won international awards and demand grew so much that some versions are scarce.

House style

Yamazaki uses stills of many different shapes and a wide variety of casks, including Japanese mizunara oak, sherry and wine casks, which allows it to create very different styles. Its malt is rich and fruity: peach, pineapple, honey, vanilla, spice and a touch of incense and sandalwood from the mizunara. It does not use peat noticeably. With age the malt gains ripe fruit, spice and notes of fine wood. It is a whisky to enjoy slowly, with a silky texture and a long, elegant finish.

Average flavour profile of its 3 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
3.0
Fresh fruit
2.8
Ripe and dried fruit
2.0
Floral and herbal
1.3
Cereal and malt
1.3
Vanilla and creamy
1.8
Oak
2.2
Spicy
1.8
Toasted
1.5
Smoky
0.2
Maritime
0.0
Body and intensity
2.7

Where to start

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, with no age statement, is the easiest way in to find: fruity, sweet and elegant. Yamazaki 12 Year Old is a classic, richer and more complex, although it is scarce. Both are enjoyed neat or in a highball. If you like them, compare them with Hakushu, Suntory’s other malt, to see two very different styles from the same house. Take your time with them: they open up in the glass.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

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