The Birth of Yamazaki: Japan's First Whisky
1923, Suntory founder Torii Shinjiro(鳥井信治郎) is Oyamazaki, south of Kyoto (大山崎Japan's first malt whisky distillery was established in the region.
The reason I chose this place was special. It was none other than Sen no Rikyu, the master of Japanese tea ceremony (千利休This is because it was Myeongsuji, where the tea room was built.
Yamazaki is Uji (宇治) River, Katsura(桂) River, Gize(木津Located at the confluence of rivers, it is frequently foggy and humid. This environment, ideal for whisky aging, had conditions similar to the Scottish Highlands.
Shinjiro Torii learned whisky-making techniques in Scotland. Masataka Taketsuru(竹鶴政孝They recruited ) as the first factory manager.
Through the collaboration of the two, the first whisky, 'Shirofuda,' was born in 1929, and after decades of trial and error, the single malt 'Yamazaki' was finally released to the world in 1984.
The Yamazaki Distillery is known to have six copper stills of various shapes and sizes, which enable the production of over 100 different styles of spirit. This diversity is the secret behind Yamazaki's unique and complex flavors.
The Yamazaki Distillery tour requires a separate reservation, and premium tours including tastings are also available, so please keep this in mind if you are planning to visit Osaka or Kyoto.
Yamazaki Lineup Guide
Yamazaki Whisky is divided into regular lineups and limited editions. We have summarized the characteristics, tasting notes, and current market prices of each product, so please refer to them when making a purchase.
Regular lineup
| Product Name | Alcohol content | Korean market price | Japan's official song |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamazaki DR | 43% | 150,000 to 200,000 won | 4,500 yen |
| Yamazaki 12th year | 43% | 340,000 to 450,000 won | 15,000 yen |
| Yamazaki 18 years | 43% | 2 to 3 million won | 40,000 yen |
| Yamazaki 25 years | 43% | 10 million won or more | 360,000 yen |
Yamazaki Distillers Reserve (DR)It is a NAS (No Ages Spent) product, a blend of Bourbon, Sherry, and Mizunara cask spirits. It is suitable for beginners and is evaluated as having significantly improved quality due to an increase in spirit reserves as of 2025.
Tasting Notes – Yamazaki DR
- Nose: Scents of red fruits like strawberries and cherries emerge first, followed by vanilla and light floral notes. A light spiciness is also present.
- Palate: It features a soft, rounded texture with dominant fruit flavors such as apple and pear. There is a slight dip in the middle (Yamazaki's signature 'dip').
- Finish: Smooth and long-lasting, finishing with a subtle oak aroma.
Yamazaki 12th yearIt is Japan's first full-fledged single malt whisky released in 1984, and is a lineup that presented the archetype of the 'complexity' that the Yamazaki Distillery aims for.
Based on American white oak (bourbon) casks, the Sherry and Mizunara cask spirits were exquisitely blended to test the balance between bright fruit characters like ripe peaches and pineapples and subtle vanilla.
In particular, the unique sandalwood flavor of Mizunara oak felt in the finish became a decisive factor in establishing Yamazaki's unrivaled identity.
Tasting Notes – Yamazaki 12 Years
- Color: Bright gold to pale amber
- Nose: A toasted oak scent is felt first, followed by a rich aroma of ester-based fruits (peach, apricot). Along with a light spiciness, a faint grassy scent reminiscent of tatami mats is also detected.
- Palate: Clean and refreshing, with green apple nuances along with light citrus (lemon, grapefruit). A honey-like sweetness emerges in the middle.
- Finish: Smooth but gradually becoming more distinct, with a long-lasting green fruit (green apple) scent.
Yamazaki 18 yearsSince its first appearance in 1992, this series has put the overwhelming influence of Spanish Oak Sherry Casks at the forefront. While the 12-year-old focused on the balance between the spirits, the 18-year-old concentrated on creating a heavy and dark character by maximizing the proportion of spirits aged in Sherry casks.
The rich flavors of raisins, dried apricots, and dark chocolate harmonize with the distinctive tannins of sherry oak, earning it the reputation of being the "pinnacle of sherry whisky" from whisky critics worldwide. This is a monumental product that demonstrates how Yamazaki handles highly aged sherry spirits.
Tasting Notes – Yamazaki 18 Year Old
- Color: Rich bronze color
- Nose: Tropical fruit scents such as mango and kiwi emerge first, followed by vanilla and aged oak. Notes of autumn fruits (ripe apple, semi-dried peach) and raisins are also detected, while the floral scent deepens and takes on a perfume-like nuance. A subtle smokiness is also discernible.
- Palate: Large, bold, and rich. Oak, exotic spices, and a hint of earth combine with tropical fruits to create excellent complexity.
- Finish: Complex and long-lasting, leaving a lingering umami nuance.
Yamazaki 25 years은 As the top-tier lineup symbolizing the distillery's ability to manage ultra-high-aged spirits, Complete changes to the recipe implemented starting in 2021This is the biggest feature.
Unlike the previous model, which used only 100% sherry cask liquid, the new 25-year model features an unconventional structure that places Yamazaki's core asset, 'long-aged mizunara liquid,' at the center of the blending.
It is known to have the most distinct Mizunara cask character, which is called the essence of Japanese whisky, so it is one of the whiskies I really want to try.
With the price increase in 2024, the official Japanese price rose from 160,000 yen to 360,000 yen, and because it is so rare, the actual purchase price is much higher than this, making it practically a collector's item.
Tasting Notes – Yamazaki 25 Years
- Color: Deep amber
- Scent (Nose): Dried persimmons, old furniture, subtle incense, dark red fruit, orange marmalade, brown sugar
- Palate: Ripe fruit, honey, brown sugar, woodiness of Mizunara oak, subtle spiciness of Japanese pepper, umami of aged soy sauce
- Finish: Long, warm, and complex finish, sandalwood, cinnamon, and subtle spices
Limited editions and special editions
| Product Name | Alcohol content | characteristic | series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamazaki Golden Promise | 48% | 1960s Scottish barley variety, aged in American oak | Tsukuriwake 2024 |
| Isla Yamazaki Fitted | 48% | Made with Islay peat barley, smoky yet sweet flavor | Tsukuriwake 2024 |
| Yamazaki Mizunara 18 years | 48% | Aged primarily in Mizunara casks, with sandalwood and cloves | Tsukuriwake 2024 |
| Yamazaki Smoky layout | 43% | Peat scent Emphasis, Suntory 100th Anniversary | Duty-free shop limited |
Yamazaki Golden PromiseIt is the core lineup of the '2024 Tsukuriwake Selection' that maximizes the body of the liquid by focusing on the barley varieties that are the foundation of whisky.
We focused on modernizing the 'Golden Promise' barley variety, which symbolizes the golden age of whisky in the 1960s, to infuse the rich nuttiness of grains and a heavy texture into Yamazaki's signature brightness.
This lineup is a malt-centric experimental batch that demonstrates how the inherent potential of the raw materials themselves drives the structure of the whisky, going beyond the influence of the cask.
Tasting Notes – Yamazaki Golden Promise
- Nose: Rich floral notes, vanilla cream, malt biscuit, and orange cake blend elegantly. Notes of golden syrup, apricot, and toasted cereal are also present.
- Palate: Smooth and creamy, with notes of honey-infused malt, ripe stone fruits (peaches, plums), and a hint of spice. Vanilla and roasted nuts add depth.
- Finish: It finishes roundly with a refined feel, leaving subtle notes of orchard fruit, soft oak tannins, and sandalwood.
Isla Yamazaki FittedIn an attempt to combine Japan's delicate distillation technology with the wild terroir of the Islay region in Scotland, dry malt using peat mined on Islay was applied to Yamazaki's smooth spirit.
It is evaluated as a lineup that has been meticulously designed to create a complex synergy by incorporating the saltiness of the sea breeze and strong smokiness that are distinct from existing Japanese peat, and the collision of Yamazaki’s elegant fruit notes with the intense character unique to Islay peat.
Tasting Notes – Yamazaki Islay Peated
- Aroma (Nose): Smoke and peat notes make their presence known from the very beginning of the nose. It starts with a candy-like sweetness, followed by complex oak notes blending with citrus. A scent reminiscent of canned tropical fruit juice rises.
- Palate: The refreshing initial taste brings to mind pears or cool gourds. Aromas of canned tropical fruit are also present on the palate and are quite striking. The distinctive sweetness and smokiness harmonize smoothly.
- Finish: The smokiness lasts a long time but is not overwhelming.
Yamazaki Smoky layoutThis is a Travel Retail Exclusive whisky that captures the smoky nuances from Yamazaki's diverse peated spirits from a popular perspective.
While Islay Peated expressed the intense peat of Scotland, Smoky Batch puts the peated malt, which provided a fine balance in the existing regular lineup, at the forefront while maintaining Yamazaki's signature sweet fruit aroma, thereby securing versatility that appeals to everyone from peat beginners to enthusiasts.
‘As the name 'The First' suggests, it can be seen as a symbolic numbering that signals the beginning of the 'Smoky Series' that Yamazaki is pursuing.
Tasting Notes – Yamazaki Smoky Batch
- Nose: Tropical fruit scents such as pineapple, papaya, and melon feel very sweet. Peat and smoky notes are not strong, but are sufficiently present in the background. Nuances of honey, floral, mint, caramel, and citrus are also detected.
- Palate: A blend of sweet fruit flavors (approximately 25%), peaty/smoky notes, green apple-like fruits (20%), peppery spiciness (15%), and citrus (15%). It is not as intense as Islay whisky, making it suitable for beginners.
- Finish: The finish is long but not intense, leaving a soft peat aroma.
Suntory Umeshu PlumIt is neither whisky nor part of the Yamazaki lineup, but aged in old whisky barrels at the Yamazaki Distillery Suntory UmeshuIt is also worth trying casually.
It is made by blending malt whisky and brandy with plum wine aged in Yamazaki whisky casks, adding spicy nuances from oak barrels to the characteristic sweetness of umeshu.
It was created through the cross-aging of whisky cask assets and Umeshu (plum wine), a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage. By internally toasting the oak barrels that held Yamazaki whisky and aging the plum wine, the natural acidity of the plums is infused with the characteristic vanilla and woody tannins of whisky.
In particular, the 'Rich Amber' edition expanded the cask assets that a whisky distillery can possess into the liqueur realm, such as by blending whisky spirits to enhance complexity.
Blended whisky made with Yamazaki original liquid
Yamazaki is famous as a single malt, but it is also used as the core spirit for Suntory blended whisky.
Yamazaki liquid plays a role in adding fruit flavor and deep layers to the blend.
- Hibiki響): A premium blended whisky made by blending spirits from three distilleries: Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita. The malt whisky ratio reaches 501 TP3T.
- Toki季)It is a blended whisky targeting the North American market and is highly popular as a highball base.
- Gakubin角瓶), Suntory Royal, Suntory Old: It is a popular blended whisky that uses some Yamazaki liquid.
Overall evaluation of Yamazaki Whisky
World-renowned awards
Since the 2000s, Yamazaki has raised the status of Japanese whisky by winning consecutive awards at international spirits competitions.
- 2013 ISC (International Spirits Challenge)Yamazaki 12th Year Gold Medal
- 2013 WWA(World Whiskey Awards)Yamazaki 25 Year Old World's Best Single Malt
- 2015 Jim Murray Whisky BibleYamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 – Selected as World's Best Whisky with 97.5 points
- 2023 ISCYamazaki 25th Year Gold Medal
In particular, the selection of Yamazaki Sherry Cask as the world's best whisky in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible in 2015 came as a major shock to the industry. Since then, a Japanese whisky boom has occurred worldwide, leading to the current supply shortage.
Is Yamazaki really worth the high price?
Most reviews regarding the quality of Yamazaki whisky are positive. The unique sandalwood aroma and coconut nuances derived from Mizunara oak, delicate fruit flavors, and Japan's distinctive and sophisticated blending techniques are clearly Yamazaki's unique strengths.
However, opinions are divided on whether current market prices accurately reflect the value of that taste. Following Suntory's significant price hike in 2024, Yamazaki 12-Year rose by 501 TP3T and 25-Year by 1,251 TP3T based on official prices. In many cases, the actual purchase price reaches two to three times the official price.
Yamazaki is undoubtedly a good whisky. It deserves its premium value for the unique flavor of the Mizunara casks and the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship. However, one must take into account that the current price includes a significant premium due to its rarity.
In terms of taste alone, it is difficult to say that it is overwhelmingly superior compared to Scotch whiskies in a similar price range. However, if you want to experience the delicate finesse characteristic of Japanese whisky and the exotic aroma of Mizunara oak, Yamazaki remains one of the choices desired by many whisky enthusiasts.
