Yamazaki, the first Japanese commercial whisky distillery was founded by Shinjiro Torii in 1923. It is located in Shimamoto, on the outskirts of Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto.
The distillery started with a single pair of stills but over time the number expanded to 16. Sherry wood has been tied to whisky industry for a long time and Japan is not exception, in fact it was the first type of cask Yamazaki ever used. Yamazaki Sherry Cask presented here is a follow-up to 2013 release (there was no bottling for 2014 and 2015), which scored top rating from Jim Murray. It is creation of Suntory master blender Shinji Fukuyo, who took a trip to Spain and personally selected casks then sent them to bodegas for storing Oloroso sherry for three years. Only 5000 bottles were produced.
Nose: very rich, strong sherry notes, cocoa powder, prunes, black cherries, bitter oranges, nutmeg, top quality cigar, touch of leather and charred oak.
Palate: perfectly balanced, roasted nuts and almonds, dark chocolate, dried dark fruits, cloves, nutmeg, dash of pepper, tobacco, leather and sherried oak.
Finish: long and powerful, with notes of dried fruit, dark chocolate, baking spice, roasted almonds, leather and oak.
