Yamazaki, 18 Year Single Malt Whisky

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Where Japanese whisky began, at eighteen years old.

Yamazaki Distillery, near Kyoto · 18 years · American, Spanish and Mizunara oak

Why it's here

Shinjiro Torii built Yamazaki in 1923, the first malt distillery in Japan, in a misty valley where three rivers meet. The eighteen-year-old is the bottle that made the world take Japanese whisky seriously, and it is now hard to find at any price. Having one on the shelf says you knew to look, and where.

The object

The whisky is aged in three kinds of cask. American and Spanish oak give it fruit and depth. Mizunara, a rare Japanese oak that is slow to grow and difficult to work, adds a note of incense and sandalwood found in no Scotch. The label is brushed calligraphy on cream paper.

At the table

Drink it neat, or with a single drop of water, in a thin glass. Raisin and apricot come first, then dark chocolate and that trace of temple incense. Bring it out for guests who will notice.

Origin: Suntory Yamazaki Distillery, Japan
Age: 18 years
Casks: American oak, Spanish sherry oak, Mizunara oak
Distillery founded: 1923

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