Yamazaki

Yamazaki

(yah-mah-ZAH-kee) Yamazaki was founded in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii at the foot of Mt. Tennozan, on the outskirts of Kyoto, and is recognised as Japan’s first and oldest malt whisky distillery. Torii chose the site for its soft water and misty climate where the Katsura, Uji and Kizu rivers meet, believing it could produce a style of whisky better suited to Japanese palates than a straight imitation of Scotch.

(yah-mah-ZAH-kee) Yamazaki was founded in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii at the foot of Mt. Tennozan, on the outskirts of Kyoto, and is recognised as Japan’s first and oldest malt whisky distillery. Torii chose the site for its soft water and misty climate where the Katsura, Uji and Kizu rivers meet, believing it could produce a style of whisky better suited to Japanese palates than a straight imitation of Scotch.

About Yamazaki

(yah-mah-ZAH-kee) Yamazaki was founded in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii at the foot of Mt. Tennozan, on the outskirts of Kyoto, and is recognised as Japan’s first and oldest malt whisky distillery. Torii chose the site for its soft water and misty climate where the Katsura, Uji and Kizu rivers meet, believing it could produce a style of whisky better suited to Japanese palates than a straight imitation of Scotch.

That decision made Yamazaki the starting point for Japanese whisky as a category, while later milestones such as the launch of Suntory’s first authentic whisky in 1929 and the release of Yamazaki Single Malt in 1984 helped establish its wider reputation.

Yamazaki’s identity has been shaped by both place and production. The distillery is known for creating a wide variety of spirit styles in-house, giving Suntory’s blenders unusual scope when building complexity and balance, and its whiskies are especially associated with elegant fruit, incense-like spice and the influence of Japanese Mizunara oak alongside American and Spanish oak casks. From Distiller’s Reserve to the 12, 18 and 25 Year Old expressions, the range has helped make Yamazaki one of the most influential and collectable names in Japanese whisky.

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