Suntory

In February 1899, Shinjiro Torii opened a store in Osaka, Japan that traded in imported wines. Within a decade, Torii began producing his own sweet grape wine called Akadama Port Wine, which became wildly popular throughout the country. In 1923, Torri fascinated by whisky his entire life decided to expand his business and began construction of the Yamazaki Distillery, Japans first-ever whisky distillery.Although inspired by traditional Scottish distilleries, Torii envisioned a uniquely Japanese approach to whisky and chose a location for his distillery that offered a climate and terrain that were completely different than those of Scotland. Nestled on the periphery of Kyoto, Yamazaki Distillery is situated at the confluence of three rivers the Katsura, Uji and Kizu that provide the warm, damp environment ideal for the production and maturation of whisky.Fifty years after the construction of Yamazaki Distillery, Keizo Saji inherited his fathers vision and constructed Suntorys second distillery. Situated amidst the deep forests of Mount Kaikomagatake in Japans southern Alps, the Hakushu Distillery enjoys a unique microclimate as a result of being surrounded by nearly 6,000 varieties of plants and thousand-year-old granite rocks.Hibiki 12 Year Old Japanese Whisky is crafted from a blend of over 30 unique whiskies produced at both Yamazaki Distillery and Hakushu Distillery, including some that have matured in previously-used Umeshu casks (Umeshu casks are specially coopered casks that are used in the maturation of plum liqueur). "This is all done by hand the traditional way," says Osamu Abe, the manager of Yamazaki Distillery, referring to the cooperage taking place at the distillery. "This is called yagura craftsmanship. You must watch and listen to how theyre made. In Japan, we say "use all 5 senses. Of course we learn from others, but our own senses are key."After each whisky used to craft Hibiki Whisky has matured for a minimum of 12 years (although some whiskies are matured as long as 30 years), the whisky is brought to proof using pure Japanese spring water. Hibiki, which translates to "resonance" in English, echoes the unique environment in which the whisky is distilled and matured. The whisky has an aroma of fruits, particularly pineapples and plums, with hints of honey and custard. The aroma gives way to a soft, mellow flavor profile that has notes of caramel, honeyed oak and apricots. The finish, which is elegant and complex, has touches of spicy wood, dried fruits and sour candy.Hibiki 12 Year Old Japanese Whisky earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Gold Medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, where it was named Best in Class. In addition, it earned a score of 93 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.Each bottle of Hibiki 12 Year Old Whisky is crafted with 24 facets that represent the 24 seasons of the Japanese lunar calendar. Pick up a bottle today!

In February 1899, Shinjiro Torii opened a store in Osaka, Japan that traded imported wines. Within a decade, Torii began producing his own sweet grape wine called Akadama Port Wine, which became wildly popular throughout Japan. In 1923, Torri fascinated by whisky his entire life decided to expand his business and began construction of the Yamazaki Distillery, Japans first-ever whisky distillery.Although inspired by traditional Scottish distilleries, Torii envisioned a uniquely Japanese approach to whisky and chose a location for his distillery that offered a climate and terrain that were completely different to those of Scotland. Nestled on the periphery of Kyoto, Yamazaki Distillery is situated at the confluence of three rivers the Katsura, Uji and Kizu that provide the warm, damp environment ideal for the production and maturation of whisky.Fifty years after the construction of Yamazaki Distillery, Keizo Saji inherited his fathers vision and constructed Suntorys second distillery. Situated amidst the deep forests of Mount Kaikomagatake in Japans southern Alps, the Hakushu Distillery enjoys a unique microclimate as a result of being surrounded by nearly 6,000 varieties of plants and thousand-year-old granite rocks.Hibiki 17 Year Old Japanese Whisky is crafted from a blend of over 30 unique whiskies produced at both Yamazaki Distillery and Hakushu Distillery, including some that have matured in previously-used Umeshu casks (Umeshu casks are specially coopered casks that are used in the maturation of plum liqueur). "This is all done by hand the traditional way," says Osamu Abe, the manager of Yamazaki Distillery, referring to the cooperage taking place at the distillery. "This is called yagura craftsmanship. You must watch and listen to how theyre made. In Japan, we say "use all 5 senses. Of course we learn from others, but our own senses are key."After each whisky used to craft Hibiki Whisky has matured for a minimum of 17 years, the whisky is brought to proof using pure Japanese spring water. Hibiki, which translates to "resonance" in English, echos the unique environment in which the whisky is distilled and matured. Hibiki 17 has an aroma of peaches, melons, apricots and lemon leaves that gives to notes of black cherry, toffee vanilla and oak on the palate. The finish sweet and fruity, with a touch of lychee.Hibiki 17 Year earned the Gold Medal at the International Spirits Competition in 2012 and 2013. In addition, it was named the "Best Japanese Blended Whisky" at the World Whiskies Awards. Pick up a bottle today!

In February 1899, Shinjiro Torii opened a store in Osaka, Japan that traded imported wines. Within a decade, Torii began producing his own sweet grape wine called Akadama Port Wine, which became wildly popular throughout Japan. In 1923, Torri fascinated by whisky his entire life decided to expand his business and began construction of the Yamazaki Distillery, Japans first-ever whisky distillery.Fifty years after the construction of Yamazaki Distillery, Keizo Saji inherited his fathers vision and constructed Suntorys second distillery. Situated amidst the deep forests of Mount Kaikomagatake in Japans southern Alps, the Hakushu Distillery enjoys a unique microclimate as a result of being surrounded by nearly 6,000 varieties of plants and thousand-year-old granite rocks.The name Haku does not merely means "white" but celebrates the origin and the craft of this Premium Japanese Vodka. The naming Haku pays tribute to its origin "Hakumai" () 100 percent pure Japanese white rice, and craft of mastering a "Jyunpaku" () pure and brilliant Vodka carefully filtrated through bamboo charcoal for an unparalleled soft, round and subtly sweet taste.Part of Hakus distinctive creation process is the proprietary bamboo charcoal filtration method. The charcoal absorbs the impurities present in the distillate. This technique dates back to Japanese tradition where charcoal was used to "sweeten" the water for tea.Pick up your bottle today!

Roku Gin is produced at its Osaka based distillery, by Spirits Giant Beam Suntory. Roku means six, named for the six quintessentially Japanese botanicals. Suntorys take on gin, this Japanese spirit is based on more than a century of knowledge and distilling legacy. After opening his distillery in 1899, founder of Suntory Shinjiro Torii launched Suntorys first Gin brand Hermes Gin in 1936. The Suntory name has continued to create world-renowned spirits built on a heritage of distilling.Roku is a craft gin featuring six Japanese botanicals; sakura flowers and leaves, sencha and gyokuro teas, sansho pepper and yuzu peel. These exquisite and uniquely Japanese ingredients are harvested at their peak during each of the four seasons, capturing the stunning diversity of a Japanese year in a single drop.The botanicals are vacuum or pot distilled individually capturing the essence of each flavor and preserving the individual characteristics of each botanical. The more delicate botanicals such as cherry blossom, are vacuum distilled in a stainless steel still, while the bolder citrus fruit yuzu is processed in a traditional copper pot still.These six distillates are then married with the eight signature in botanicals: juniper, coriander, angelica seed and root, cinnamon, cardamom, bitter orange and lemon peel, resulting in a harmonious fusion of traditional gin notes, offset by a distinctively beautiful Japanese twist.Pick up your bottle today!

In February 1899, Shinjiro Torii opened a store in Osaka, Japan that traded in imported wines. Within a decade, Torii began producing his own sweet grape wine called Akadama Port Wine, which became wildly popular throughout the country. In 1923, Torri fascinated by whisky his entire life decided to expand his business and began construction of the Yamazaki Distillery, Japans first-ever whisky distillery.Although inspired by traditional Scottish distilleries, Torii envisioned a uniquely Japanese approach to whisky and chose a location for his distillery that offered a climate and terrain that were completely different than those of Scotland. Nestled on the periphery of Kyoto, Yamazaki Distillery is situated at the confluence of three rivers the Katsura, Uji and Kizu that provide the warm, damp environment ideal for the production and maturation of whisky.Fifty years after the construction of Yamazaki Distillery, Keizo Saji inherited his fathers vision and constructed Suntorys second distillery. Situated amidst the deep forests of Mount Kaikomagatake in Japans southern Alps, the Hakushu Distillery enjoys a unique microclimate as a result of being surrounded by nearly 6,000 varieties of plants and thousand-year-old granite rocks.Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky is a unique marriage of whiskies from Hakushu and Yamazki distilleries, as well as Chita Distillery, a single grain distillery in Aichi Prefecture on the Pacific coast of Japan. While the majority of Suntorys blends use malt whisky from Yamazaki as their main ingredient, Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo wanted to try a new approach for Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky, utilizing Hakushu malt whisky aged in American white oak and Chita heavy-type grain whisky as the blends two pillars. Finally, Fukuyo adds both American white oak-aged and Spanish oak-aged malt whisky from Yamazaki, providing the blend with even more flavor and complexity.By pairing these seemingly dissimilar but deeply accordant whiskies, Fukuyos insight overturned the old relationship between malt and grain and created a blend that is both groundbreaking and timeless, says Suntory.Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky has a clear golden color and aromas of fresh basil, green apple and clover honey. The palate is filled with bittersweet citrus fruits, such as grapefruit and green grapes, as well as pungent herbs like peppermint, thyme and rosemary. The finish, which is subtle and slightly sweet, leaves an impression of vanilla and ginger which lingers endlessly.Pick up your bottle of Toki today!