Cover The Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura, featured at its launch in Singapore at Keyaki on June 20 (Photo: Courtesy of Glenfiddich)
The Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura, featured at its launch in Singapore at Keyaki on June 20 (Photo: Courtesy of Glenfiddich)
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The latest in its Grand Series line, the 29-year aged single-malt limited release pays homage to Japanese culture
For centuries the sakura blossoms that bloom every spring in Japan have inspired artists, poets and writers to capture these fleeting symbols of life. It turns out whisky makers count themselves amongst those seeking to immortalise their ethereal beauty too, with Glenfiddich’s Grand Yozakura, its newest release in its prestigious Grand Series line.
The Grand Yozakura borrows its name from the Japanese word for “night sakura”, a time at night during the “cherry blossom festival” of Hanami that celebrates the transient beauty of sakura flowers. During this time the flowers are illuminated, elevating their beauty into the status of the otherworldly. It is this ephemeral period that Glenfiddich aims to capture in the Grand Yozakura, which marries the elegant beauty of Japan with the time-honoured Scottish whisky-making tradition.
Matured for much longer than other releases in the Grand Series at 29 years at the Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, the single-malt is finished in ex-awamori oak casks. It is this final point that makes the Grand Yozakura so special, as awamori, the oldest distilled spirit in Japan made with long grain indica rice, is traditionally stored in clay pots, and almost never matured in oak casks. Ex-awamori oak casks are thus highly rare, and by using such experimental cask finishing in Glenfiddich single-malt, a highly smooth and drinkable whisky emerges that will be perfect for any special occasion.
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Above The Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura, featured at its launch in Singapore at Keyaki on June 20 (Photo: Courtesy of AKA Asia)
The Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura, featured at its launch in Singapore at Keyaki on June 20 (Photo: Courtesy of AKA Asia)
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“We are always looking to experiment with new finishes, so when the chance arose to acquire rare ex-Awamori casks, we saw an opportunity to push the boundaries and experiment with this highly unusual spirit,” Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman says. In case you were wondering how this process flavours the whisky, Kinsman adds that the six-month finish in ex-awamori casks “accentuat[es] the mouthfeel characters and zingy herbal notes unlike any in the [Grand Series], or anything I have tasted before.”
“It is perhaps the most ground-breaking expression to sit alongside the series so far,” Glenfiddich global brand director Claudia Falcone says. Bringing up the “scarce components” that compose such an exclusive whisky, the Grand Yozakura “accentuates the anticipation and sense of occasion, paying homage to the brand’s innovative nature when it comes to creating dynamic whiskies of the highest quality.”
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About
Ethan is a dining writer with Tatler Singapore. Trained in literary arts and filmmaking, their work has previously been published in Esquire Singapore, Men's Folio, and with the Asian Film Archive and the Singapore International and Film Festival, across a wide range of interests from gastronomy to fashion and arts criticism.
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Ethan writes about exciting news in the F&B industry, specialising in fine dining, exclusive spirits launches, and new restaurants. They are always looking for riveting voices to bring something fresh to an already-dynamic industry.
Follow them on Instagram at @faustiangourmand.
