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Each of the four pillars of Yamazaki whisky has been bottled separately, giving fans deeper insights into the making of this legendary Japanese single malt
The 1984 formulation of the original Yamazaki 12 Year Old single malt whisky has always been a closely guarded secret, but fans are about to get a closer taste of its concept of Tsukuriwake, translated as “artisanship through a diversity of making”.
This August, the House of Suntory will release the 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection, which comprises the bottling of four of Yamazaki’s four foundational pillars—Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak and Mizunara. Tsukuriwake, says a Suntory spokesperson, is one of the main reasons why Yamazaki is such a beloved and sought after whisky. “Innovation in Japanese whisky is known to occur at the back end—in maturation or blending. But few understand the diversity of the whisky components that it takes to achieve this depth and gravitas.”
Hence, the art of Tsukuriwake brings together multiple components—such as non-peated and peated malt and grain varieties, two types of wash backs, eight pairs with various shapes of pot stills and maturation in four different oak casks (French, Spanish, Japanese and American) to create the diversity required for a single malt of great complexity and longevity.
Each of the four limited-edition bottlings has been given a moniker to explain their role in the overall blend.
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The Yamazaki Puncheon 2022, for instance, is the “heart”—the inner core of subtle fruit sweetness, velvety and delicate butterscotch notes that make up its base. The capacity of the puncheon at 480L allows the spirit to mature slowly, for deeper complexity.
Yamazaki Spanish Oak 2022 is highly prized as an “enhancer” for the richness of dried raisins and prunes, with the perk of lingering acidity to bring other flavours to life. These are sourced from forests in Spain which are then assembled and seasoned in Spain before being shipped to Japan.
