Yamazaki Suntory 7 Years Old

Yamazaki 7 Years Old is an older European market bottling of Suntory's single malt, made at the distillery in the valley of Shimamoto in Osaka Prefecture and released in a 500ml format for the Netherlands. As Japan's first malt distillery, opened in 1923, Yamazaki built its name on balance, and this youthful age statement shows the spirit before long wood ageing deepens it.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon wood, the whisky keeps the bright, fruit forward side of the house style to the front. Expect fresh orchard fruit and citrus with vanilla from the American oak, the texture lighter and more direct than the older expressions, and the malt character still clearly on show. At 43% it is a clean, approachable Yamazaki that frames the distillery's character at an early stage of maturation.