Yamazaki 12 Year Old

What it is

The core 12 year old from Yamazaki, Suntory's distillery near Kyoto and the oldest malt distillery in Japan. Bottled at 43%. It's the most recognised Japanese single malt in the world and the one that convinced the rest of the world Japan could do this properly.

Where it comes from

Suntory's own product page states that Yamazaki 12 meets the labelling standard set by the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association, and the company separately confirms that every exported Suntory whisky is 100% distilled, matured and bottled in Japan. No imported whisky. That's a product level statement from the producer rather than a retailer's claim, which in this category is worth a great deal.

How it's made

Yamazaki opened in 1923, built by Shinjiro Torii with Masataka Taketsuru overseeing the work, on a site chosen for its water and its humid, misty climate at the meeting of three rivers. The still house is unusually varied, with pot stills of different shapes and sizes, so blenders have a wide spread of component whisky before cask type comes into it. The 12 is built on three oak types: American oak for vanilla, Spanish oak for dried fruit and depth, and Japanese mizunara for the incense note. In 2003 it became the first Japanese whisky to take a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge.

What to expect

Honey, peach and a little coconut up front, then a rounder middle with dried fruit and a light mizunara spice on the finish. It's balanced rather than dramatic, which is exactly the point, and it's the reference bottle most people measure other Japanese malts against.

How it compares

Against Hakushu 12, the classic Suntory split: Yamazaki fruity and sherried, Hakushu green and gently smoky. Against Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, the 12 is deeper and cleaner where the NAS is brighter and more wine-cask driven. Against the 18, more money buys more sherry weight.