Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399
Great Whisky from the East T his year (as last year), two exceptional whiskies from Japan were award- ed Double Gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Clearly this was no fl ash-in-the-pan. These two extraordinary spirits—Yamazaki 12 Year Old (SRP $40) and Yamazaki 18 Year Old ($100)— have been 86 years in the making. From 1899, Shinjiro Torii was a wine whole- saler and subsequently became success- ful marketing plum wine. But whisky was his dream and, in 1923, he built a distillery in Yamazaki, 20 minutes outside of Kyoto. Within fi ve years the fi rst Japanese single malt whisky was on the market. History intervened, but by the early 1960s single malt whisky was being produced in quantity at Yamazaki. The company was renamed Suntory and, in addition to becoming a huge producer of all manner of soft drinks (Pepsi included), liqueurs (Midori) and beer, the com- pany re-dedicated itself to premium whisky production. To learn the nuances of pro- ducing great whisky, Suntory went to Scotland, where it bought Morrison Bowmore, parent company of the Bow- more (Islay), Auchentoshan (Lowland) and Glen Garioche (Highland) single malts. They also own a large percent- age of The Macallan. Copper pot stills were made and shipped from Scotland, and all of the barley used in Yamazaki production is malted at Bowmore. There are also other unique aspects of Yamazaki manufacture that set it apart. Perhaps most important is the mix of wood used for aging. Fifty percent of Yamazaki is stored in American white oak bourbon bar- rels, 45% in Spanish sherry butts and 5% in an exotic Japanese oak from Hokkaido called mizunara. The latter give Yamazaki an unmistakable home-grown character. In 1973, Suntory began development of a new distillery—Hakushu. Located at 2,400 feet above sea level in the breathtaking Japanese Alps, this new distillery is also the source for Suntory's new line of mineral wa- ter. The whisky made at Hakashu is of a dif- ferent character from the Yamazaki product. It might be fair to characterize Yamazaki as a more Highland-style malt, while Hakashu is closer to an island malt such as Islay. Suntory also produces a blended whisky called Hibiki, which is available with differ- ent age statements. It is clear that Suntory has become one of the world's best whisky producers—a worthy rival for the leading distilleries of Scotland and Kentucky. Suntory's Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts are world-class story and photos by Anthony Dias Blue Asia Pot stills at the Yamazaki Distillery. 34 / the tasting panel / july 2009 Hiroyoshi "Mike" Miyamoto, Executive Gen- eral Manager of the Yamazaki Distillery.