Basic introduction of Brewery

 

In 1923, Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Suntory, decided to establish the first whisky distillery in Japan with the vision of “making a unique Japanese whisky”.
After a number of visits, Torii chose to establish a distillery in Yamazaki Gorge, Shimamoto-machi, Mishima-gun, Osaka Prefecture, where the water quality and humid climate made it an ideal place to distill whisky, and the Yamazaki Distillery was completed in 1924.

In 1929, the Yamazaki Distillery produced Japan's first domestically produced whiskey, Shirazan. Since then, the distillery has continued to grow and become a benchmark for Japanese whisky.

Let's discover more about the Suntory Brewery!

Brewing process

 Two types of fermentation tanks, wooden and stainless steel, are used in the distillery to produce different styles of whisky by varying the fermentation conditions.A variety of shapes of pot stills are used for the two distillations. The different shapes of the stills result in subtle differences in the impurities in the raw whiskey, which affects the final flavor.

Brewing environment

The distillery's water is sourced from a local source, revered by the Japanese tea saint Chirikyu and selected as one of Japan's “Top 100 Famous Waters”, which is hard but soft enough to produce a complex and richly layered malt.The Yamazaki region has a humid, foggy climate, and this unique climate provides an ideal environment for maturing whisky, which helps to produce rich, attractive flavors.

Products & Styles

Single Malt Whisky: Yamazaki's single malt whiskies are the core of its product range, characterized by richness and mellowness and a multi-layered taste, and are regarded as the masterpieces of Japanese single malt whisky. For example, Yamazaki's 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky has strong coconut, cranberry and butter flavors with a long finish.