My Affair with Suntory Yamazaki 12 yo

From my last review on Hibiki Suntory 17 years old, it leaves me craving for more Japanese single malts. It was really unexpected that after my Monday Evening at Changkat, I headed straight for dinner where my friends served me a bottle of Suntory Yamazaki 12 yo!

Yamazaki is the first Japanese distillery established 1923 by Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Suntory and the father of Japanese whisky, whom built Japan’s first malt whisky distillery in the Vale of Yamazaki. The distillery is situated in an area of dense bamboo grooves at the foot of Mt. Tennozan outside Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital. Using copper pot stills, the Yamazaki distillery was the first of its kind outside of Scotland.

What makes Suntory Yamazaki single malts so appealing and impressive is credited to the fresh air and four simple ingredients: the finest malted barley, pure water, special yeast strains, and noble oak casks. These whisky are then aged in casks of three different kinds of oaks: American, Spanish and Japanese.

As quoted, "Suntory Whisky derives from the pure waters prized by Senno Rikyu, the creator of the Japanese tea ceremony”

My experience with Suntory Yamazaki is quite a physical affair. I always take the liberty to nose the whisky before I had the virgin sip. On the nose, you'll find honeyish and buttery aromas. It's quite a powerful embrace.

There are 3 ways to drink this : neat (straight from the bottle to the glass), on the rocks (adding cubes of ice) or mixing with water and ice (also known as "Mizuwari" in Japan). I suggest that it be served on the rocks because it does not dilute the whisky as much when you mix it with water and ice. Do you know that whisky tastes differently when some drops of water are added into it?

On the palate, it has a delicate, mellow taste with a lingering, woody, with a dry finish that is medium to long. This is one of them where the flavour of whisky transforms as water is added. After some ice drops, it makes the palate a bit more buttery and pleasantly bitter.

I would rate this as a soft, delicate and medium-bodied whisky which is smooth and easy to drink. It's my perfect antidote after a day of peaty whisky such as a Laphroaig or a Lagavulin. It's almost anatomical, and the drinking experience has always been immensely pleasurable and physically gratifying when I'm in great company coupled with good food and whisky.



I heard the 18 yo is even more superb. Gotta have that in my Dream Drink List.