The House of Suntory, a pioneer of Japanese whisky, marks a century since founder Shinjiro Torii established Yamazaki Distillery, and 50 years since the Hakushu Distillery was formed.
A statement from Suntory notes that as a nod to its future and a way to honor the craftsmanship and innovative spirit of the brand, they will release two limited-edition Hakushu bottlings for Suntory’s centennial.
Those are the limited Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt, and the flagship Hakushu 12 Year Old that will come in limited-edition celebratory packaging for the 100th anniversary.
“Blending is at the heart of everything we do at the House of Suntory, and we hold each of our whiskies to the highest standards throughout the process,” said fifth generation chief blender, Shinji Fukuyo. “I am proud to share the release of Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt and special edition packaging of our Hakushu 12 Year Old with the world.”
The Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt is composed of malt whiskies all aged for a minimum of 18 years. The blenders’ notes described the challenge of working with peat, made possible thanks to the area’s unique terroir, climate and pure mountain water filtered through granite rocks (this softens the whisky’s signature smoky taste).
On the nose, this expression features aromas of sage, ripe green apple, and hints of ripe pineapple. It has a smoky flavor on the palate that reveals layers of herbal, grapefruit and acacia honey notes, with a smoky finish that lingers with undernotes of fresh green citrus.
Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt clocks in at 48% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $1,200 for a 700ml bottle.
Suntory’s centennial Hakushu 12 Year Old packaging was designed as an homage to “Monozukuri” craftsmanship, a Japanese principle which embodies elevated artisanship, pursuit of quality, ingenuity, and expressiveness.
Trending Stories
The illustration on the bottle shows the Hakushu Distillery in soft hues of green, representing the forest surrounding the distillery. On the nose, the Hakushu 12 Year Old offers aromas of basil, pine needle and green apple. On the palate, it presents notes of sweet pear, mint and kiwi with a green tea and subtly smoky finish. This expression clocks in at 43% percent ABV and has a suggested retail price of $185 per 750ml bottle.
The Hakushu 12 and 18 Year Old releases will find their way this month to select global markets including the United States, UK, Australia, Germany, France, and Singapore.
For more information, check out www.house.suntory.com.
Latest News