Prices
- The Whisky Station · Size not listed
Usually $1,399.00$1,039.00In stockLowest priceView at The Whisky Station - The Drink Society · 700ml
Usually $1,499.99$1,049.99In stockView at The Drink Society - Kent Street Cellars · 700ml
Usually $1,499.99$1,349.99In stockView at Kent Street Cellars - Old Richmond Cellars · 700ml
Usually $1,800.00$1,480.00In stockView at Old Richmond Cellars - Nick's Wine Merchants · 700ml
Usually $1,599.00$1,499.00In stockView at Nick's Wine Merchants - Paul's Liquor · 700ml$1,499.99In stockView at Paul's Liquor
- Uptown Liquor · 700ml
Usually $1,499.99$1,079.99Sold outView at Uptown Liquor - The Whisky Company · 700ml$1,650.00Sold outView at The Whisky Company
Prices and stock come from each retailer's website. Check with the store before you buy.
More from this distillery: All Suntory whiskies and prices
About
What it is
The 18 year old single malt from Yamazaki, bottled at 43%, sitting between the 12 and the 25 in Suntory's core range. Everything in it has spent a minimum of 18 years in cask, and supply has been tight for most of the last decade.
Where it comes from
Suntory confirms that Yamazaki meets the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association labelling standard and that all exported Suntory whisky is 100% distilled, matured and bottled in Japan. No imported whisky. Being a single malt, everything in the bottle comes from the one distillery near Kyoto.
How it's made
Yamazaki opened in 1923 as the first malt distillery in Japan. The still house runs pot stills of varying shapes and sizes, giving an unusual spread of distillate from a single site. The 18 leans heavily on Spanish oak sherry casks, more so than the 12, with American oak and Japanese mizunara filling out the picture. Eighteen years is roughly where mizunara starts contributing properly, since Japanese oak gives up almost nothing early on, so the incense and sandalwood character is more evident here than further down the range.
What to expect
Rich and dark. Dried fruit, raisin, dark chocolate and toffee, with the mizunara spice and a long, slightly resinous finish. It's considerably heavier than the 12 and the sherry influence is unmistakable.
How it compares
Against Yamazaki 12, the 18 is deeper, darker and more sherried, and whether it's worth the gap depends on how much you value that. Against Yamazaki 25, the 25 is more concentrated again and priced on scarcity rather than on proportional improvement. Against Hakushu 18, the split holds: Yamazaki rich and fruity, Hakushu green and smoky. Note there's also a Yamazaki 18 Mizunara, a separate release matured entirely in Japanese oak.
