Yamazaki 12 Years Old

Yamazaki 12 Years Old is a single malt from Suntory's Yamazaki distillery in Osaka Prefecture, Japan's first malt distillery, founded in 1923 in the humid Shimamoto valley between Osaka and Kyoto where three rivers converge. This Japan market expression leans into sherry maturation, bottled at 43% in the local 660ml format, a richer counterpoint to the standard cask mix of the core 12.

Drawn from Oloroso sherry barrels, the Spanish oak pushes dried fruit, raisin and a note of chocolate forward, wrapping the distillery's soft orchard fruit and vanilla in a deeper, sweeter frame. The sherry adds weight and a darker sweetness without losing the poise the distillery is known for. It shows the sherried side of the Yamazaki house character, fuller and more rounded than the standard release, the kind of pour that rewards slow sipping and a little time in the glass.