Yamazaki Releases Its Oldest Mizunara-Solely Aged Whisky

When Japanese distilleries began getting old their whisky in Mizunara oak within the Nineteen Forties and ‘50s, it wasn’t from a need to strive one thing new however slightly out of necessity; World Warfare II and its aftermath had lower off entry to American and European oak.

Discovered within the Hokkaido area of Japan and different elements of East Asia, Mizunara just isn’t solely a uncommon wooden but additionally notoriously troublesome to make use of for barrel making. Fashioning a whisky cask from Mizunara oak requires further ability and a spotlight from the coopers who work with the slow-growing, crooked, and porous materials that is susceptible to leakage. 

The good thing about working with a wooden that has so many drawbacks is the completed product: whisky with distinct character, distinctive taste, and unimaginable complexity. Yamazaki, the oldest malt whisky distillery in Japan and a cornerstone of the Home of Suntory, has been working with Mizunara oak for greater than seven many years and continues to discover the boundaries of getting old whisky within the celebrated oak as we speak.

The most recent Yamazaki launch, 25 Years Previous Mizunara, is the oldest 100% Mizunara-cask-aged Yamazaki expression from the Home of Suntory. Most whiskies which might be labeled as Mizunara are literally aged primarily in different kinds of oak after which completed for a shorter time in Mizunara casks. Yamazaki, then again, has the benefit of plentiful provides of older whisky aged solely in Mizunara.

Shinji Fukuyo, chief blender for Home of Suntory, explains that when whisky is aged in these casks for 10 years, the attribute “spicy aroma of Mizunara may be sensed within the end. By 20 years, the profile positive aspects richness and complexity, with roasted coconut and incense-like aromatics coming into higher focus. It’s at 25 years and past that Mizunara really reveals its potential.”

Per rules, the 25-year label for this whisky is barely referring to the youngest whisky within the mix. James Bowker, the worldwide advocacy supervisor for the Home of Suntory, says, “Typically, we now have round a 10-year age variance for Home of Suntory whiskies. So that is 25 years [at the] youngest. We will not let you know the best age, however I can guarantee you that the common age is definitely fairly considerably greater.”

The flavors imparted by Mizunara are not like these from every other oak. “The Yamazaki 25 Years Previous Mizunara has a unprecedented texture, silky and refined, with flavors that unfold in layers,” Fukuyo notes. “It begins with an apricot-like sweetness, adopted by heat spices. Whereas the signature coconut be aware from youthful Mizunara nonetheless shines by way of, it’s the complicated Mizunara wooden character that actually takes heart stage at this age. This whisky stays remarkably recent regardless of its age, which speaks to each the standard of the distillate and the endurance required to mature Mizunara correctly.”

Whereas Mizunara casks make up lower than 1% of Suntory’s complete stock, the 25 Years Previous Mizunara will change into part of Yamazaki’s everlasting vary, alongside the 18 12 months Previous Mizunara expression. It’s a testomony to how lengthy and the way extensively Suntory has labored with the uncommon oak. “Everybody else began utilizing Mizunara about 10 years in the past,” Bowker says. “We have got 70 years expertise. 

“We have labored out which elements of the warehouse it must go in [or] how — if you are going to age it for 30 years — what number of years prior would you’ve gotten needed a whiskey to be in that cask to extract the harshness of the cask? All these kinds of issues. And I am all the time mind-boggled by the standard of the Mizunara whiskies.”

This can be the oldest Mizunara cask-aged whisky launched thus far, and Fukuyo remains to be exploring its boundaries. “Even after 25 years, we’ve discovered that the Mizunara oak affect stays balanced, by no means overshadowing the underlying whisky,” he explains. “Whereas I don’t assume 25 years is essentially the start line, I consider that as time progresses — by way of 30, 40, and even 50 years — there’s potential for even higher depth and subtlety to develop, revealing additional uniqueness and particular qualities of Mizunara.”

25 Years Previous Mizunara might be a Yamazaki perennial, however it received’t essentially be extensively accessible — portions are “restricted,” in keeping with Suntory. A precise quantity isn’t accessible, however it’s seemingly that even at a advised retail worth of $7,500, demand for this launch will outstrip provide.