04 Oct Whisky Wednesday: Suntory Yamazaki Mizunara Cask 18 year old – 2017 edition

It’s another  big Whisky Wednesday as this week, we introduce Suntory’s latest release: the Yamazaki Mizunara cask 18 year old single malt, 2017 edition.

We’re a bit torn when it comes to rare bottles of whisky. On the one hand, we’re privileged to receive these once-in-a-lifetime bottles and to be able to share them with you; on the other, when they’re gone, they’re gone forever (sad face). Come in and check it out – while we still have it!

Whisky: Yamazaki Mizunara 18 year old – 2017 edition
Distiller: Suntory Whisky
Country: Japan
Type: Single malt whisky
ABV: 48%

 
Colour (what does it look like?):
Amber

Nose (what does it smell like?):
Rich and elegant fragrance, aloe wood, cinnamon

Palate (what does it taste and feel like?):
Condensed sweetness, silky texture, dry fruits, coconut, orange marmalade

Finish (how does the flavour finish on the palate?):
Distinctive spiciness lingers with Japanese incense, aloe wood, cinnamon and tartness

Background

Mizunara is a rare species of Japanese oak only found in a few regions in Japan. The wood has a hard, permeable nature which makes it less than ideal for cask making, but this rare tree inspired Suntory to perfect new cask-making techniques and in turn, create new flavours in whisky: uniquely Japanese spices and incense.

According to Suntory, the mizunara cask is a perfect expression of “tsukuriwake” – the art of diversity in whisky making. Diverse grain types, as well as fermentation, distillation and maturation techniques, enables Suntory to produce more than 100 different malt and grain whiskies at its Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries, and allows Suntory complete self-sufficiency in creating its blends.

Only at Yamazaki, Japan’s oldest malt whisky distillery built in 1923, do Suntory’s whiskies have the privilege of maturing in mizunara casks, creating one of the most uniquely flavoured and distinctly Japanese whiskies in the world.

Suntory’s fourth Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo tasted a few hundred mizunara-casked whiskies and made selections of varying ages, from 18 years old and beyond, to go into the exclusive 2017 edition. A very small portion of whiskies exceed 50 years of maturation, which give this limited edition bottling an incomparable depth and a flavor that lingers.

The long maturation period in mizunara casks reveals the distinctive spiciness and incense-like flavor of sandalwood and aloe wood that Suntory considers as the quintessential “mizunara-ness.”

The Yamazaki Mizunara 2017 Edition was not intended for a familiar, relaxing moment, according to Fukuyo. He wanted this uniquely Japanese whisky to be dramatic and unforgettable: “I wanted to reveal the whisky’s soul that is the Art of Mizunara—a heightened sense and awakened palate engaged through aromas and flavors never known before. Encountering it should be a moment of epiphany.”

Best drinking

Neat.