Hakushu 12 Year Old

What it is

The core 12 year old single malt from Hakushu, Suntory's forest distillery in the Southern Japanese Alps. Bottled at 43%. It's the benchmark bottle in the range and the one most people meet first, though supply has been tight for years.

Where it comes from

Suntory states on the Hakushu 12 product page that it meets the labelling standard set by the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association, and separately confirms that every exported Suntory whisky is 100% distilled, matured and bottled in Japan with no imported whisky. That's a product level confirmation from the producer rather than a retailer's claim, which is worth more than it sounds in a category where plenty of bottles saying Japanese on the label do not meet the standard.

How it's made

Hakushu was built in 1973 at around 700 metres, chosen specifically to produce something unlike Yamazaki. The altitude means cooler, slower maturation. A second still house was added in 1981, and the distillery runs pot stills of varying shapes and sizes, so the blenders have a wide spread of distillate before cask type even enters the picture. Hakushu uses lightly peated malt as part of its make, which Suntory describes as giving the whisky a gently smoky character. The cask breakdown for the 12 isn't published.

What to expect

Fresh and green, which is the whole point of it. Cut grass, green apple, mint and cucumber, with a light smoke that sits behind rather than on top. It's the most refreshing of the aged Japanese malts and the reason it works so well in a highball, which is an unusual thing to say about a 12 year old single malt.

How it compares

Against Yamazaki 12 it's the classic Suntory split: Hakushu green and smoky, Yamazaki fruity and sherried. They're built to be different and neither is the better whisky. Against Hakushu Distiller's Reserve, the no age statement version, the 12 has more depth and a cleaner finish. Against Hakushu 18 you get more of the same character with more weight behind it.