This week, the House of Suntory surprised Japanese whisky lovers with the release of their Yamazaki distillery’s oldest and rarest liquid ever bottled: the staggeringly old Yamazaki 55, which was bottled in 2020. We were there for the NYC launch event, which granted access to the rarefied whisky, an exceptional blend that channels the brand’s illustrious history. This limited edition release nods to several of …
Trekking the Kentucky Bourbon Trail or carving along the Highlands of Scotland on a scotch whisky tour, expert and novice travelers observe that distilleries differentiate themselves through water, wood and their particular method in bringing it all together. Thousands of miles from those well-traveled routes, and separated by a four-and-a-half hour drive through the Japanese countryside, Suntory‘s Hakushu and Yamazaki distilleries do much the same. …
One of the most well-known Japanese whisky brands, Nikka‘s origins date back to 1934 when Masataka Taketsuru built the Yoichi Distillery (named after the town in which it’s located) on the island of Hokkaido. Taketsuru (the son of a sake producer) had returned from an extended stay in Scotland, during which time he studied the craft of whisky-making while apprenticing at local distilleries—all while working …
