NEWS
YAMAZAKI RELEASED 25-YO SINGLE MALT MATURED IN MIZUNARA OAK
By Susan Lewis
20-8-2025
Source: Yamazaki
Japanese whisky distiller Yamazaki, owned by House of Suntory, has released a 25-year-old single malt, it is the oldest expression to date from that distillery to be entirely matured in Japanese mizunara oak.
Yamazaki Distillery, located near Kyoto, is one of Suntory's three whisky distilleries. The other two are Hakushu outside of Toyko, and Chita, the company's grain distillery.
Many styles of whisky are produced at Yamazaki, the result of the use of different types of stills to make whisky that is then aged in various types of wood.
One of those, of course, is mizunara, a type of oak that is native to Japan which is notoriously porous and difficult to use and has become a popular finishing cask for whisky produced in America, Scotland, and Ireland.
The core Yamazaki lineup consists of expressions aged for 12, 18, and 25 years, but these are all matured in a variety of different types of casks that are blended together, including bourbon, sherry, and mizunara.
The new Yamazaki 25 Years Old Mizunara, however, was aged entirely in mizunara, making it the oldest whisky to date from Suntory to receive this treatment (that title was previously held by an 18-year-old whisky).
Of course, this single malt is certainly not the oldest to date from Yamazaki. That distinction goes to the 55-year-old expression that was first released in 2021, a blend of whiskies aged in mizunara and white oak barrels.
The 25-year-old was described as having notes of sandalwood, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a bit of ripe red berry on the palate.
It's bottled at 48 percent ABV, so there's a pleasant bit of warmth on the finish that slowly fades out.
As is the case with most of the Suntory whisky lineup, it meets the guidelines set by the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association that defines Japanese whisky.
It is priced at USD7,500, but will likely go for much more than that on the secondary market, and the brand doesn't say exactly how many bottles are being released globally.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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