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With a beautiful rich golden color and fresh fruity aroma, Yamazaki is another whisky that has left me impressed not only by its history, but its rich and smooth flavor. After trying neat, this 12 year-old Scotch, from Japan, really came alive after I added a touch of water to heighten the aromatic experience and tasting. Notes of honey, wood, and fruit were easily detected, it was smooth on the palate, and was followed by a warm-medium finish. If you want to impress your whisky drinking friends, pull out a bottle of Yamazaki, and inform them they are drinking the most popular single malt whisky in Japan.
ALC 43% by VOL. 750ml
Suggested Retail Price $40
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SUNTORY YAMAZAKI SINGLE MALT WHISKY
The Distinctive Whisky of Japan
Suntory YAMAZAKI is the distinctive single malt whisky of Japan. With a smooth, subtle, honeyed taste, this superb single malt whisky reflects the unique characteristics of its Japanese heritage.
Handcrafted at the oldest distillery in Japan, Suntory YAMAZAKI is made from the purest natural ingredients distilled through the art of Japanese craftsmanship in perfect harmony with nature. Indeed, Suntory YAMAZAKI is made with the same pure water used in Japan’s most esteemed tea ceremonies.
Japan’s First Whisky
The history of Japanese whisky began in 1923 when Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Suntory and the father of Japanese whisky, built Japan’s first malt whisky distillery in the Vale of Yamazaki. Located on the outskirts of Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, this proved to be the ideal environment for whisky production.
A good whisky is born of pure water and a climate where cool temperatures and high humidity create an ideal maturation environment. The Vale of Yamazaki is famed for its pure waters, prized by the famous Japanese tea ceremony master Senno Rikyu since ancient times. The Yamazaki distillery, where whisky was crafted from pure malt using copper pot stills, was the first of its kind outside of Scotland.
Suntory YAMAZAKI was ranked the world’s ninth bestselling single malt whisky in terms of cases sold in 2002, and is currently exported to some 25 countries, including the United States.
Enjoying Suntory YAMAZAKI
The complex aromas and flavors of Suntory YAMAZAKI can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. The ideal method to appraise its rich, fruity aroma is to enjoy
YAMAZAKI straight, either as an aperitif or after-dinner drink. Tasting Suntory YAMAZAKI on the rocks is an excellent way to appreciate its smoothness and flavor.
Mixing Suntory YAMAZAKI with water and ice, a popular method in Japan, makes for a smooth, light drink ideally suited to drinking with meals and goes especially well with sushi and other Japanese dishes.
The Suntory YAMAZAKI Whisky-Making Process
The Suntory YAMAZAKI production process begins with the selection of the finest barley according to strict quality standards. The barley germinates on exposure to moisture and air, producing enzymes that will later convert starch into sugars. The grains of malt are then ground into grist and mixed with pure water from the Vale of Yamazaki. This mixture yields a sweet liquid called wort.
Suntory selects the most appropriate yeast from a vast variety and adds the yeast to the wort to begin the fermentation process. This produces an alcoholic liquid called wash, which is distilled twice in copper pots. Only the distinctive middle cut of the second distillation is collected to become whisky.
After the distillation process is complete, the new spirits are aged in oak casks, where the whisky matures to its amber color and smooth taste. Suntory YAMAZAKI Single Malt Whisky is available aged for either 12 or 18 years.
Travelers to Japan can visit the Suntory YAMAZAKI Whisky Museum, which opened in March of 2000 on the grounds of the Yamazaki Distillery. Visitors can taste more than 100 kinds of whisky and view exhibits that explain the history of whisky distilling in Japan and the product’s impact on Japanese culture and society.
“Suntory YAMAZAKI 12-year-old is lightly syrupy, honeyed in flavor, perfumy, with a cookie-like dryness in the finish. This whisky seems to have gained in confidence and intensity over the years.”
This Whisky Produced a Warm Subtle Kick, Not a Judo Chop Finish
Suntory Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky
by Linda Calder
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