Buy rare and selected Yamazaki Japanese Single Malt Whisky online

The Yamazaki distillery near Kyoto is the oldest Japanese whisky distillery still in operation and was opened in 1923 by Torii Shinjiro, the founder of Kotobukiya (later Suntory) as the first malt whisky distillery in Japan. Torii s dream was to create an authentic Japanese whisky that would cater to the tastes of the Japanese but be inspired by Scottish traditions. Torii deliberately chose the location in the Vale of Yamazaki on the outskirts of Kyoto because this region had long been famous for its exceptionally pure water (the legendary tea master Sen no Rikyu had already praised it) and offered a special climate with high humidity and distinct seasonal changes - ideal for maturing whisky. The proximity to Kyoto, a centre of Japanese culture and craftsmanship, also played a role. Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru, who had studied the craft of whisky production in Scotland, for the construction and the first years of production. Taketsuru was instrumental in setting up the Yamazak distillery, but later left Yamazaki / Suntory to found his own company, Nikka.
The first whisky, Shirofuda (white label), was launched in 1929, but it was not initially a great success as its smoky character was too intense for the Japanese palate at the time. Torii and his team then adapted production to develop a more subtle style. Over the decades, Yamazaki refined its techniques and expanded its range of casks and stills to produce a wide range of whisky profiles. Yamazaki uses different shapes and sizes of copper pot stills, both direct and indirect fired. This enables the production of distillates with different characters - from light and floral to heavy and rich. Yamazaki consciously pursues the philosophy of diversity at every stage of production - from different yeast strains to different fermentation times, various types of stills and a wide range of cask types. This gives the master blender a huge selection of different whiskies to achieve the desired complexity and balance in the end product. This laid the foundation for the complex and exclusive single malts for which Yamazaki is famous today. Yamazaki whiskies have won countless international awards and played a key role in establishing the reputation of Japanese whisky worldwide. The Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013, for example, was named World Whisky of the Year by Jim Murray s Whisky Bible with an impressive 97.5 out of a possible 100 points, triggering global hype. Due to the high quality and the international awards, the demand for Yamazaki whisky, especially for the old bottlings (12, 18, 25 years), has exploded. This has led to supply bottlenecks and sometimes extremely high prices on the secondary market. Rare Yamazaki Distillery only single cask whiskies or special owner cask bottlings and all sherry cask whiskies are now achieving prices at special auctions organised by Kruger, Bonhams or Christie s that were unimaginable just a short time ago.
The flavour profile of Yamazaki is generally elegant, complex, fruity and often with subtle spicy or floral notes. However, it varies greatly depending on the bottling and age. In addition, Yamazaki use an impressive variety of casks, with American white oak (ex-bourbon) showing vanilla, coconut and honey notes, Spanish oak (ex-sherry) with dried fruit, chocolate, spices and Yamazaki s trademark Mizunara oak with notes of sandalwood, Japanese incense (kara), coconut and a special oriental spice.
The rare and expensive Mizuna oak is a Japanese oak species and is difficult to process (it is porous, tends to leak and often grows crooked). It requires a very long maturing period (often at least 15-20 years) in order to optimally release its unique flavours. The influence of the rare Mizunara oak is a defining characteristic of many Yamazaki whiskies, especially the older bottlings.
Yamazaki whiskies are now recognised worldwide for their elegance, complexity and subtle balance, the Yamazaki single malt represents a pioneering role in Japanese whisky history with its innovative use of different casks (particularly Mizunara) and demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship to create an elegant, complex and highly prized single malt.