Yamazaki Single Malt Japanese Whisky

A no age statement single malt from Yamazaki in Osaka Prefecture, the Suntory distillery that founded Japanese malt whisky in 1923 where the Katsura, Uji and Kizu rivers meet near Shimamoto. Soft humidity in the valley aids the long maturation behind the layered house style. This 2025 release is bottled for the Japanese market at the house standard 43%.

Matured in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood that typically carries the gentler, fruit forward face of the distillery. Look for vanilla, honey and ripe orchard fruit over a clean, lightly spiced oak, soft and harmonious throughout. At 43% the whisky is approachable and easy, the cask keeping it rounded rather than assertive. It finishes balanced and mellow in the layered house style that has long defined Yamazaki as a benchmark single malt.