Hanyu 23 Years Old

Hanyu distillery in Saitama Prefecture operated from the early 1980s under Toa Shuzo and closed in 2000. This release draws on the 1985 vintage, one of the earlier distillation years in the surviving Hanyu catalogue, matured for 23 years in Ex-Bourbon Hogsheads before bottling in 2008 at 58% cask strength for global release.

Twenty-three years in wood is unusual for a Japanese single malt and the extended maturation shows: the bourbon hogsheads yield a deep dried fruit and polished oak character, softened by age but still carrying the distillery's vanilla and grain foundation. Long American oak maturation at a Japanese site can also draw out faint earthy and wood spice notes, and the 58% bottling strength preserves the complexity without aggression. This 1985 vintage is among the older officially released expressions from the closed Saitama site.