Yamazakura Supreme Cask

Yamazakura Supreme Cask 40 Years Old is a cask strength single malt from Sasanokawa Shuzo's Asaka distillery in Fukushima prefecture, bottled in 2015 for the Japanese domestic market. Forty years in wood is a statement of ambition and patience for any distillery, and Sasanokawa Shuzo's ability to release such a mature expression speaks to its long and continuous history as a whisky producer in Fukushima, well before the modern craft boom.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon casks over four decades, the Supreme Cask has moved beyond the familiar landmarks of vanilla and toffee into the deeper, quieter territory that only extreme age develops: old wood, dried wax, faint leather and the composed, unhurried sweetness that bourbon oak becomes after many years. At 56% cask strength the concentration is full and the forty years are present in every aspect of the palate. A historic and patient expression from one of Fukushima's most enduring whisky houses.