Suntory 1991 – Furudaru Shiage

Bottled under the Furudaru Shiage name, this is a blended malt drawn from Suntory's Yamazaki distillery in Osaka and its mountain distillery at Hakushu in Yamanashi, a vatting of two house malts with no grain whisky in the blend. The 1991 vintage marries the orchard fruit and rounded sweetness of Yamazaki with the green, herbal freshness of Hakushu, presenting the company's malt character rather than any single distillery's signature.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon oak, it leads with honey and ripe orchard fruit, vanilla and a soft sandalwood incense note of the kind Suntory coaxes from Japanese oak in its older stock. The Furudaru Shiage idea points to a finishing in older, well used wood, which lends a gentle, mellow polish rather than aggressive tannin. At 43% it stays smooth and balanced, a vintage blended malt that shows Suntory's measured, harmonious approach to its two malt distilleries.