Distillery Info
Located in Shimamoto, Osaka Prefecture and considered to be Japan's first whisky distillery. Suntory's flagship Yamazaki has always been celebrated amongst whisky enthusiasts, yet recent times has seen the distillery reach a status nothing short of stardom and on the lips of many a casual drinker. The phenomenon is in part a result of the numerous awards and accolades attributed to Japanese whisky in recent times - Jim Murray's annual whisky bible; awarded their 2013 Sherry Cask release the 'Best Whisky in the World' in 2016 - in addition to a general increase in interest toward Japanese culture ("For relaxing times, make it Suntory time."). Combined, this has resulted in shortages of Yamazaki (and all other Japanese whisky's for that matter!) across the board.
Released in 2014 in response to the foreseeable shortages, 'Distillers Reserve' was created for Hakushu and Yamazaki, with this expression marrying malts from ex-Red wine casks, Mizunara (Japanese white oak) for a twelve year period, and ex-Sherry matured malts approximately twenty years in age.
