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About Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is made from 100% malted barley, which is milled and mashed before being fermented with water sourced from the foothills of Mount Tenno. The water is said to be have been preferred by Sen No Rikyu, Japan’s legendary tea master. After the barley has been fermented, the wash is distilled through Suntory’s copper-pot stills — the first of their kind outside of Scotland — before the whisky is matured in casks made of three different types of wood: American, Spanish and Japanese oak (the Japanese oak adds an Asian twist to the whisky).
“This is all done by hand — the traditional way,” says Osamu Abe, the manager of Yamazaki distillery, referring to the cooperage taking place at the distillery. “This is called yagura — craftsmanship. You must watch and listen to how they’re made. In Japan, we say “use all 5 senses.” Of course we learn from others, but our own senses are key.” After aging for 12 years in Japan’s unique environment — the constant changes in temperature and humidity force the wood and whisky to interact with each other — the whisky is brought to proof before being bottled.
Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2009 and 2013, and earned a score of 92 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.
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About Yamazaki
In February 1899, Shinjiro Torii opened a store in Osaka, Japan, that imported and sold wine. Within a decade, Torii began producing his own sweet grape wine called Akadama Port Wine, which became wildly popular throughout the country. In 1923, Torri, who had been fascinated by whisky his entire life, decided to expand his business and began construction of the Yamazaki Distillery, Japan’s first-ever whisky distillery.
Although inspired by traditional Scottish distilleries, Torii envisioned a uniquely Japanese approach to whisky and chose a location for his distillery that offered a climate and terrain that were completely different to those of Scotland. Nestled on the periphery of Kyoto, Yamazaki Distillery is situated at the confluence of three rivers — the Katsura, Uji, and Kizu — that provide the warm, damp environment ideal for the production and maturation of whisky.
About Japanese Whisky
Although maybe not be the first Spirit you would think of when Japan is mentioned; the Japanese make one of the best types of whisky in the world. It’s heavily influenced by scotch but with smoother and delicate notes.
The history of the Japanese whisky is not even a century old, but in this short time, the Japanese blended and single malts have taken over the world by storm and can easily go against their whisk(e)y counterparts from across the globe.
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