Hakushu Suntory | Japanese | Single MaltWhisky | Subtle Smoke, Crisp Apple and Mint | Made With The Pure Waters Of The Southern Japanese Alps | 40 Percent ABV | 70 cl

Product Information

To make the whisky, Suntory used peated malt from the UK, including some that is heavily peated. The distiller used refill American oak casks in four sizes. On the nose, the whisky offers notes of sage, ripe green apple, and hints of ripe pineapple. The palate brings a ‘complex smoky flavour’ with layers of herbal, grapefruit and acacia honey notes, and a smoky finish with undernotes of green citrus. Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt offers a ‘new angle to the world of peated malt’ The House of Suntory is also inviting fans to join its new global membership programme. Members can find out about new releases, receive priority consideration for invitations to consumer experiences, learn news from the distilleries, gain early access to content and more. All that negativity aside, Hakushu 18 is a spectacular whisky. Getting a good deal requires patience and the ability to walk away from extreme mark-ups.

Bus service – From Nirasaki to Hakushu Distillery, No. 3 boarding area at Nirasaki Station → Matsubarakami (the closest bus stop to the distillery).These overall comparisons hold true for Yamazaki 18 and Hakushu 18. Suntory releases them both at the same price. But Yamazaki tends to be a little more expensive retail. Hakushu is the Japanese connoisseurs choice. The distillery, which was built in 1973 and is set amidst spectacular pine forests close to Japanese Alps. Hakushu distillery ( Japanese: 白州蒸溜所, Hepburn: Hakushū jōryūsho) is a Japanese whisky distillery. It is owned by the Suntory group, and situated in the Toribara locality ( 鳥原, also pronounced Torihara) of the former town of Hakushū (now part of Hokuto), in the Yamanashi Prefecture, Chūbu region, Japan.

Literally towering above its competitors, Hakushu is the highest operational distillery in Japan, with an altitude of more than 2000 feet above sea level. Rather like its Scottish counterpart, Dalwhinnie (the highest distillery in Scotland), whose altitude is said by some to play a huge part in the character and style of its spirits, Hakushu produces a wonderfully balanced malt of the highest quality. The bottle design for Yamazaki 12 pays tribute to its production facility, which is the oldest malt distillery in Japan. The illustration features the distillery in deep copper tones from a low angle, looking up.Nose: Woodsmoke and the earthiness of peat hit you in the schnoz as soon as you open the bottle, so there’s no question this is a peated whisky. The magic is in the honeyed essence underneath the smoke and peat, however. This whisky made my mouth water as I thought of a crisp bite of apple on a fall day. Also orange peel and burnt, buttered toast. Upon arriving, having spent two hours looking out together the train windows enjoying the amazing scenery, I was astounded to see, nay feel the setting within which this distillery sits. Hakushu and Yamazaki are the two marquee Suntory whisky distilleries. The Yamazaki came first, and it produces deeply fruity, floral, soft, and semi-sweet single malts. The influence of Japanese mizunara oak is obvious, especially on the higher-end expressions. The Hakushu relies much more on ex-Bourbon casks plus some Sherry cask influence. And the whiskies are much crisper, more mineral, peaty, and herbal. From Hakushu Distillery to Nirasaki – Matsubarakami (the closest bus stop to the distillery) → Nirasaki Station.