The latest release from Japanese whisky pioneer House of Suntory is the 2022 Limited Edition Yamazaki Tsukuriwake Selection.
This collection focuses on the “foundational pillars of Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky” with the following bottlings: Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak and Mizunara.
Tsukuriwake means “artisanship through a diversity of making.” It is the “house style” of Suntory, with innovation in Japanese whisky known to occur at the back end: in maturation or blending. Suntory’s Tsukuriwake in Yamazaki includes non-peated and peated grain varieties, two types of wash backs, eight pairs with various shapes of pot stills and maturation in four different oak casks (French, Spanish, Japanese and American) with three cask-size differences in American oak.
“What excited me most about this launch is that just one year before the 100th anniversary of Suntory Whisky, we can finally share the full story behind our Tsukuriwake way of whisky making, which was born from the Founding House of Japanese Whisky,” says Suntory’s fifth-generation Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo. “The 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection honors the fact that greatness comes from diversity. And in doing so, we unveil what truly makes Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky the authority of Japanese Whisky.”
The Yamazaki Puncheon Single Malt Whisky is comprised of selected malts aged in puncheons made from American oak. With a capacity of approximately 480 liters, these large casks allow malt whiskies to mature slowly, the company says. The result is a nose of green apple, pear and acacia honey with a hint of vanilla, before a palate of butterscotch notes and an oaky, sweet finish.
Yamazaki Peated Malt is made of peated malted barley that imparts smoky, earthy notes, the company reports. It also contains herbal tones, leading into a palate of peat with hints of earthiness, pineapple and citrus notes.
Yamazaki Spanish Oak matured in oak casks originating from Northern Spain. These impart subtle acidity and fruity aromas, the company reports, for a nose and palate of dried raisins and prunes, with hints of sundried tomatoes.
Yamazaki Mizunara Single Malt Whisky aged in this delicate, fickle oak, gaining sweet and spicy flavors, with a nose of custard cream and cinnamon, the company says.
The 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection, initially released in Japan in 2020, launches next month in select global markets including the U.S.
Each expression is 48% ABV, with a suggested retail price of $450 per 750-ml. bottle, except for the Mizunara, which carries an SRP of $620.
