The House of Suntory, as it celebrates a century of pioneering Japanese whisky, has unveiled two new expressions of its Yamazaki 12 and 18 Year Old Single Malts.
Since Suntory Founder Shinjiro Torii established Yamazaki Distillery in 1923, the Japanese whisky brand has honored the craftsmanship and innovative spirit of the industry.
A statement from Suntory notes that this special centennial range includes the new, limited Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara, a single malt Japanese whisky aged exclusively in rare Mizunara oak casks. It also features the classic Yamazaki 12 Year Old with new, limited-edition celebratory packaging for the 100th anniversary.
The statement explains that these two bottles are an homage to the brand’s heritage as the country’s first and oldest malt whisky distillery.
“Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara was blended for our 100 year anniversary and features a rich texture created from a long aging process,” said Fifth Generation Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo. “This expresses the delicate and meticulous attention to detail that went into its craftsmanship. I believe this whisky embodies the founding family’s spirit to pursue quality, and I am honored to share this with the world.”
The 2023 limited release of Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara brings the characteristics of Japanese Mizunara oak, in which the malt is aged exclusively.
The House of Suntory first discovered and started experimenting with Mizunara wood in the 1940s under the supervision of First Generation Master Blender Shinjiro Torii and Second Generation Master Blender Keizo Saji.
The distiller’s notes show that with this lineage, the Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara expression features notes of dark cherry and ripe peach on the nose, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. On the palate, it’s subtly spiced with undernotes of Japanese incense and a long and lingering finish, accentuated with clove, sandalwood, and hints of dried coconut.
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The 18-year-old clocks in at 48% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $1,500 per 700ml bottle.
And Suntory’s centennial edition of Yamazaki 12 Year Old is designed as an homage to “Monozukuri” craftsmanship, a Japanese principle which embodies elevated artisanship, relentless pursuit for quality, ingenuity and expressiveness.
Suntory officials described the bottle design for Yamazaki 12 Year Old as a tribute to Yamazaki, the oldest malt distillery in Japan.
The illustration captures the distillery in deep copper tones from a low angle, looking up. This perspective, the notes say, pays homage to Shinjiro Torii’s dream of making whisky blessed with the riches of Japanese nature and craftsmanship.
The distiller’s notes show The Yamazaki 12 Year Old as having aromas of peach, pineapple, grapefruit, clove, candied orange, vanilla and Mizunara (Japanese oak). On the palate, it has notes of coconut, cranberry and butter, with a long finish and sweet ginger cinnamon undertones.
The 12-year-old clocks in at 43% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $185 per 750ml bottle.
The new centennial Yamazaki 12 and 18 Year Old bottles are now available in select global markets within the U.S., the UK, Europe and Asia.
For more information about the House of Suntory, check out http://house.suntory.com/japanese-whisky.
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