Vintage Japanese Whisky Tasting

This vintage Hibiki NAS is often the starting point for understanding the old Hibiki style. Soft, rounded, and delicately balanced, it opens with ripe fruit, honey, and gentle wood tones, making it an ideal introduction to the vintage Hibiki journey.

The vintage Hibiki Gold Label shows a more graceful and polished side of old Hibiki. Floral aromas, ripe fruit, honey, and soft oak come together in a poised, elegant profile that reflects the refined luxury of classic Japanese blended whisky.

The vintage Hibiki Gold Label with gold flakes offers more than visual beauty. It captures the celebratory and collectible character of the old Hibiki era, with a delicate palate of ripe fruit, honey, and refined oak that leaves a memorable impression both in appearance and taste.

Vintage Hibiki 17 Year Old represents a deeper and more mature expression of old Hibiki. Layers of dried fruit, honey, spice, and fine wood unfold with greater complexity and a longer finish, making it one of the most iconic bottles for collectors and vintage whisky lovers.

Suntory Imperial stands as one of the classic symbols of Suntory’s premium blended whisky era. Rich, stately, and old-fashioned in the best sense, it often shows sherried sweetness, mature fruit, spice, and dignified depth. If Hibiki expresses refinement and harmony, Imperial speaks more of weight, heritage, and grandeur.

Yamazaki 12 Year Old, transitional vintage bottle. A bridge between eras, carrying both vintage bottle character and historical significance.

Yamazaki 12 Year Old, Pure Malt vintage bottle. A more mature old-style release with notable depth, collectibility, and drinking appeal.

Yamazaki 10 Year Old, Green Label vintage bottle. A rare and iconic vintage bottle, representing one of the most classic chapters in Yamazaki’s history.

Yamazaki 12 Year Old, Lion Crest vintage bottle, without Tokkyu marking. An early-style release with strong identity, high rarity, and distinctive historical appeal.

This is one of the most iconic early bottlings of Yamazaki 12, featuring the rare "facing lions" label and the former Japanese "Tokkyu" premium-grade classification. Compared with the current Yamazaki 12, this vintage bottle shows a deeper old-style Suntory profile: richer body, mature fruit, gentle oak, and a distinctly Showa-era texture. It is not merely a glass of Yamazaki 12, but a historical snapshot of Japanese whisky before it became a global luxury category.

Black Taketsuru, discontinued release. One of the most representative discontinued Nikka expressions in recent years, valued for both rarity and recognition.

Distillery limited black-label vintage bottle. A compact yet highly representative release, standing out as a rare expression from Nikka’s distillery-limited range.

Super Premium, vintage bottle. A richer and more polished upper-tier expression from Nikka’s classic blending tradition.

A mature expression from the Super Nikka lineage, bridging Nikka’s familiar blended whisky tradition with greater depth and age. This vintage 15-year-old bottle reveals a more composed and layered side of Nikka: gentle malt sweetness, rounded oak, soft fruit, and the quiet strength of Japanese blending.

The Blend of Nikka Maltbase Whisky 17, vintage bottle. A mature and full-bodied expression with the classic character of old-style Nikka malt blending.

Released on 31 March 2020 as the current reformulation. More modern and clearly defined than the black label, it combines fruit, substantial malt and gentle peat, finishing with slight dark-chocolate bitterness and wood.

The NAS Taketsuru sold before the white-label reformulation and replaced in March 2020. It is more old-fashioned and rounded, integrating fruit, malty sweetness, vanilla-toned cask aromas and gentle smoke in a smooth palate.

Introduced in 2000 as the first age-statement Taketsuru and discontinued around 2014 in favour of the NAS release. Light and elegant, it emphasizes bright fruit, gentle malt sweetness, balance and drinkability.

Discontinued at the end of March 2020 and not restored as a regular product. Mature fruit, honey, vanilla, aged wood, light peat and gentle smoke combine in one of the clearest expressions of balance in the range.

Also discontinued at the end of March 2020 and not restored as a regular product. Deeper, softer and more complex, with ripe fruit, dried fruit, honey, wood, dark chocolate, light smoke and a long finish.

White Leaf. A delicate and pure expression, standing as one of the early hallmark releases in the Hanyu–Chichibu lineage.

Black Leaf. A deeper and more concentrated expression that highlights the bold character of early Ichiro’s Malt.

Blue Leaf. A classic Leaf Series release with strong balance and layered complexity.

Green Leaf. A fresher and more lively expression, representing an important facet of early Chichibu spirit character.

Red Leaf. A fuller and more assertive release, standing out strongly within the Leaf Series.

Gold Leaf. A more opulent and elevated expression, widely regarded as one of the signature releases of the Leaf Series.

Background

The sixth release in the series, evoking spring rains that nourish all living things.

Flavor

Citrus, honey, malty sweetness, and gentle peat, with sea salt and oak providing a balanced structure.

Positioning

Hokkaido oceanic maturation delivers a fresh, elegant spring style.

Background

The seventh release, marking the beginning of summer.

Flavor

Citrus, honey, light peat, and a sea breeze quality. Refreshing and balanced overall.

Positioning

A crisp summer expression shaped by the oceanic maturing climate.

Background

The thirteenth release, marking the arrival of autumn.

Flavor

Ripe fruit, honey, oak, and a hint of peat. Substantial and well-balanced in structure.

Positioning

A single malt expression that embodies the ripe, full character of autumn.

Background

The twenty-second release, evoking the longest night of the year.

Flavor

Rich and full-bodied, with dark chocolate, dried fruit, peat smoke, and sea salt. Deep and complex in structure.

Positioning

One of the heaviest, most wintry expressions in the Akkeshi series.

Background

The twenty-third release, marking the onset of deep winter.

Flavor

Sea salt, peaty smoke, honey, and citrus — substantial and complex in character.

Positioning

A defining expression of Hokkaido’s oceanic climate and peated distillery style.

Fresh and delicate, with white chocolate, mineral and seaweed notes.

Rounded and sweet, with orange, caramel, red apple and gentle smoke.

Firm and spicy, led by burning wood, black pepper and earthy peat.

Building on NIGHT BLACK, deeper Spanish-oak character creates darker, more concentrated smoke.

The fullest-bodied release, combining powerful peat, honeyed apple, ash and seaweed in a dark maritime profile.

Made with Islay 80 ppm super-heavily peated malt, this is the Tarot release with the strongest maritime character and smoke. The 48% edition is relatively smooth, with vanilla, Japanese bekko candy and grapefruit pith.

Made with Highland 80 ppm super-heavily peated malt, this is one of Saburomaru's most intensely peated releases. Burning wood, ash, fern, orange peel, ripe red apple and ginger lead into dense ashy peat and a powerful smoke-laden finish.

Using spirit distilled in 2020 and 2021, it combines Highland peat with Islay peat. Sweetness, smoke, spice and jerky-like savouriness overlap in a richer, more complex Saburomaru.

Distilled in 2021. Although still heavily peated, it is not driven by raw power; maritime savouriness, malt sweetness and restrained smoke remain in balance.

Distilled in 2020 with Highland heavily peated malt. Compared with the Islay-derived minerality of III, IV places greater emphasis on balance and structure, combining delicate fruit with a firm smoky framework.

Fresh · Light · Delicate smoke

Sudachi citrus and mint-like freshness, a light palate, and a finish of gentle smoke and sweetness. The benchmark for modern Hakushu.

Rich · Aromatic · Gently bitter

A distillery-exclusive bottling. Richer than the current Hakushu, with a fuller aromatic body and a distinct but pleasant bitterness.

Fruity · Creamy · Toasted · Full-bodied

A historical style shaped by special yeast, wooden-vat fermentation, and direct-fire distillation. Beneath the fruit and cream are toasted notes and a fuller body.

Green apple · Jasmine · Clean smoke

Leafy freshness gradually develops into ripe fruit and gentle sweetness, with smoke becoming finer and more persistent.

Ripe fruit · Honey · Smoke · Long finish

Long maturation brings deep fruit sweetness, greater complexity, and an extended smoky finish, taking the forest character into maturity and depth.

Classical · Weighty · Mature · Balanced

An early premium bottling. Mature fruit, sweetness, wood, and gentle smoke overlap, providing a historical reference point for old-style Tsuru.

Round · Fruity · Soft · Balanced

Continuing the premium blended lineage, it is clearer and lighter than the ceramic bottle—a transition from classical Tsuru toward a more modern expression.

Floral · Soft · Sweet · Modern blend

The current distillery-exclusive version, re-expressing Tsuru’s blending aesthetic with Nikka’s present-day stocks.

Mature fruit · Rich · Deep · Long

Whiskies matured for at least 17 years bring greater ripeness, weight, and depth while retaining Tsuru’s core of complete harmony.

Fruity · Malty · Soft · Historical commemorative

The flight ends at Miyagikyo, the distillery built by Masataka Taketsuru himself: from a finished blended whisky back to one of the key sources and the founder behind the Nikka system.

Fruit · Flowers · Soft · Refined

Apple, pear, and delicate sweetness establish the benchmark coordinates of modern Miyagikyo.

Ripe fruit · Sweetness · Round · Mature

A discontinued age-stated release. Ten years of maturation turn fresh fruit into rounder, more mature sweetness and deeper cask layers.

Weighty · Malty · Smoky · Powerful

Coal-fired direct distillation creates a distinct personality. Compared with Miyagikyo, the body is heavier and more forceful, with malt, fruit, and smoke.

Ripe fruit · Weighty · Smoky · Long

Maturation adds ripe fruit, sweetness, and woody layers while preserving Yoichi’s power and smoky character.

Integrated · Mellow · Fruity · Balanced

Pure Malt brings different Nikka malt whiskies back together. After tasting the two distilleries separately, return to the blend and look for their traces within it.

An earlier Fuji Gotemba-line product that takes the timeline back to before the modern “Fuji” brand was fully formed.

Malty · Rich · Round · Limited

A combination of malt whiskies presenting the Gotemba style, forming the first comparison with today’s Single Malt.

Fruity · Honeyed · Soft · Clear

Soft fruit, sweetness, and a clean body provide the benchmark for modern Gotemba malt.

Sweet · Round · Rich · Limited

Grain whisky, normally made to serve blending, is brought to center stage to demonstrate the full breadth of Gotemba’s grain-whisky capability.

Sweet · Delicate · Round · Long

The current Single Grain benchmark, forming the second comparison with the distillery-exclusive version.

Integrated · Weighty · Sweet · Balanced

Finally, return to Blended Whisky: first separate Malt and Grain, then taste how they come back together in a glass of Fuji.

Shinshu distillation × Shinshu maturation

Fruit, sweetness, and a delicate body establish Komagatake’s Shinshu benchmark.

Tsunuki distillation × Tsunuki maturation

Moving from Nagano to Kagoshima, a richer and more forceful southern character establishes the second coordinate.

Rich · Powerful · High intensity

The higher strength concentrates Tsunuki’s body, aroma, and spirit power—a high-resolution view of the Tsunuki style.

The variables are narrowed to a single cask and a Calvados cask, magnifying how apple, fruit, and oak shape the Komagatake spirit.

Tropical maturation · Single cask · Climate variable

The Komagatake spirit remains the same, but maturation moves to warm, humid Yakushima. Placed beside Shinshu maturation, it lets us observe directly how climate changes spirit from the same origin.

Pure Malt · 8 years · Old bottle · A vanished category

Pure Malt has largely disappeared from the mainstream portfolio. This 8-year-old bottling preserves another historical expression of Suntory malt whisky.

Bamboo-charcoal filtration · Old-cask finishing · Elegant · Long

After bamboo-charcoal filtration, the whisky is further finished in old casks. The body is soft, with wood and aroma stretching out gracefully—an almost vanished branch of production history.

Limited project · Culture · Work of its era

Connected with Harutoshi Fukui and a special 2005 project. It does not need to be forced into Yamazaki, Hakushu, or Hibiki; it belongs to a particular moment in time.

Founding commemoration · Premium blend · Historical symbol

Named for the year Shinjiro Torii founded the business, it shows another way—outside Hibiki—in which Suntory once expressed premium blended whisky and its own history.

Non-commercial lineage · Top-tier blend · Rare

Both non-commercial and retail versions once existed, representing a world of premium blending beyond ordinary mass-market products. Placed beside 1899, it reveals a summit later obscured by today’s brand hierarchy.

Flagship blend · Dedicated bottle design · Elegant and lingering

Born in the era when Sanraku Ocean owned both Karuizawa Malt and Kawasaki Grain. A pronounced sherry profile unfolds with restraint: dried fruit, sweetness, and mature wood emerge slowly, while the most striking feature is the exceptionally long and elegant residual aroma.

Old leather · Old wood · Old books · Exceptionally long residual aroma

Like entering a study sealed for many years: leather, wood, and paper overlap. Even after more than 12 hours, the empty glass retains a faint, distant fragrance.

63.6% · Explosive sherry · High concentration

16years × 63.6%: dense sherry, ripe fruit, wood, and alcohol power erupt at once, showing Karuizawa at extreme intensity.

58.1% · Sherry impact · Deep · Long

It retains enormous impact while adding depth and extension. The 16-year is an explosion; the 20-year leaves a much longer wake after the impact. From the elegance of Asami to the almost violent sherry of the cask-strength spirits, one hidden thread runs through all four glasses: the lingering aroma.

12+ year Grain · Continuous distillation · Soft and clean

Selected Grain whiskies matured for at least 12 years. Soft, round, richly sweet, and clean on the finish—one glass for understanding the “base color” of Suntory’s blending system.

Distilled 1985 · Straight Head Pot Still · Omi maturation

Distilled at Yamazaki in 1985 and matured long-term in Building 58 of the Omi Aging Cellar. Elegant and complex, fruity and smooth, gently sweet and substantial, with a complete record of the spirit’s provenance.

Hakushu East · 1984 · Wooden-vat fermentation · Direct-fire distillation · Sherry Cask 1984 Hakushu East spirit: wooden-vat fermentation, direct-fire distillation, sherry cask, and maturation at Yatsugatake. Sweet and elegant, with vanilla-like woody sweetness and a toasted finish, preserving a historical slice of the “Hakushu East” era.

15 years · 56% · Yamazaki

At 56% ABV, it presents the aroma, oily texture, woody structure, and power of mature Yamazaki spirit directly.

15 years · 56% · Hakushu

Like Yamazaki, it is 15 years old and 56%. With age and strength controlled, the most important remaining variable is the distillery itself—a rare Yamazaki × Hakushu comparison.