Hakushu 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

This Hakushu 12YO is a beautifully refined and complex single malt. Champagne gold in colour. On the nose, toasted barley, chopped almonds, green apple and subtle notes of barrel char. Hints of milk chocolate, sweet pear and dried grass bring sweetness. Much more fruit on the palate, but it's by no means a sweet whisky. Still rich, herbaceous and grassy, with a waft of smoke along the way. Nice expression, very approachable.

• Distillery: The Hakushu Distillery - Suntory
  
• Type: Japanese Single Malt Whisky
  
• Region: Hokuto, Yamanashi, Japan
  
• Alcohol: 43% 
  
• Volume: 700ml 
  
• Goes with: Neat or over ice
  

This wonderful peated Japanese single malt whisky hails from Hakushu Distillery, owned by Suntory. The distillery resides in the forests of Mt. Kaikomagatake, with the original Hakushu Distillery built in 1973. Rather fittingly, it boasts a fresh and 'foresty' flavour profile. On the nose you’ll find toasted barley, chopped almonds and a little bit of barrel char. Hints of milk chocolate and dried grass bring sweetness. Much more fruit on the palate, but it's by no means a sweet whisky. Still rich, herbaceous and grassy, with a waft of smoke along the way. Nice expression here.

The Hakushu Distillery 

The Hakushu Distillery was founded half a century after Yamazaki, when Keizo Saji inherited his father’s vision in his quest for innovation and constructed this second Suntory Distillery in 1973.

Chosen for its distinctive natural surroundings that differ greatly from Yamazaki, Hakushu produces whiskies which are imbued with the characteristics of the distillery’s environment. Everything from the unique production processes down to the exquisite flavours of Hakushu whiskies are a result of the distillery existing in perfect harmony with its surroundings.

The exceptionally soft mountain water of Hakushu originates as clear-flowing rainwater and melted snow, which passes through Mt. Kaikomagatake of the Japanese Southern Alps and joins the Ojira and Jingu Rivers at the mountain foot. With four distinctive seasons, the clear air and cool, humid climate of Hakushu’s vast forests allow the distillery, one of the few situated at an elevation of 700 meters or more, to produce high-quality whisky through a slow, unhurried process.

The water and environment at the Hakushu Distillery is vastly different to that of the Yamazaki distillery, as is the creation process. At fermentation, artisannal craftsmen use solely wooden washbacks to encourage maturation by retaining heat in the cool air at the distillery.

A variety of pot stills and casks are carefully chosen to suit the high elevation and climate of Hakushu, ultimately producing an array of single malt whiskies with a variety of characters that reflect its surroundings.

Hakushu Distillery was recently upgraded to emphasize the profound connection between the distillery’s outstanding whiskies and its pristine natural environment. The updates include a new visitor centre and exhibit at the Bird Sanctuary that bring visitors closer to the distillery’s surroundings than ever before.

• Gold - 2016 World Whiskies Awards - Japanese Single Malt 12YO & under
• 1st Place - 2015 International Whisky Competition - Best World Whiskey
• 5/5 Stars - BBC Good Food
• Silver - 2023 International Spirits Challenge