Yamazaki 12 Years was the flagship whisky from the Yamazaki distillery in Japan. At Suntory they use a unique aging process that involves Spanish, American (ex-Bourbon) and Japanese (Mizunara) oak. This gives the whisky a unique character all its own and when it was available at a not-absurd price I enjoyed picking up a bottle and sipping on it now and then. At its current crazy-pants prices I can’t even fathom grabbing one.

Yamazaki 12 Years Info

Region: Osaka, Japan

Distiller: Suntory
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: American, Spanish and Japanese Oak
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43%

Price: $120+ | Specialty and auctions mostly

Yamazaki 12 Years Review

EYE
Gold

NOSE
Rich fruit, buttery graham, malty sweetness, hay and a bit of honeydew build an aroma that is quite pleasing to the senses.

PALATE
Fruit, buttery graham, malt, citrus peels, hay, spice and a candy sweetness towards the end that reminds me of those orange Circus Peanuts. Not a bad flavor all-in-all, a simple sipper for sure.

FINISH
Medium malty fade accompanied by notes of nuts, fruit and a bit of char.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Decent balance, light body and a soft velvety feel

OVERALL
Yamazaki 12 years is a good whisky that I’m not excited about, which causes a bit of internal conflict for me. On a pure merit scale the interesting aroma and palate I think deserve an B+ range rating, but on an excitement scale I feel like it’s more of a B range for me and sticking it in the B range feels like a copout. I wish there was a better solution, but in the end I decided to satisfy the less emotion driven part of myself and go with that fact that it is a good daily drinker that I wouldn’t be upset about having in my glass.

SCORE: 87/100 (B+)

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