Suntory Royal – Year of the Sheep (Suntory Whisky)

This Year of the Sheep release is a 2015 zodiac edition of Suntory Royal, the prestige blend Shinjiro Torii created in 1960. It is a blend rather than a single malt, drawing malt whisky from the Yamazaki distillery in Osaka and the forest distillery at Hakushu in Yamanashi together with light grain whisky from Chita in Aichi, a commemorative bottling of the whole house rather than the voice of any single site.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon oak, it carries the Royal character, a rich, honeyed body with a gentle sherried sweetness, ripe orchard fruit and vanilla, and a trace of the sandalwood incense note Suntory draws from Japanese oak. The Yamazaki and Hakushu malts give depth and shape while the Chita grain lends a smooth, rounded texture beneath. At 43% it stays full but composed, a festive edition that presents the house blend at its most ceremonial in a collectable zodiac dress.