SP16 Yamazakura Blended Whisky
Produced by Sasanokawa Shuzo — a distiller with roots stretching back to 1765 in Koriyama, Fukushima, and whisky-making since 1946 — Yamazakura is a blend of malt and grain whiskies matured in ex-bourbon barrels at the modern Asaka Distillery, which opened in 2016. The nose opens with soft vanilla, orange blossom, and gentle earthy oak, giving way to fresh orchard fruit, salted-caramel biscuit, and greengage plum on the palate, with honey and toasted nuts rounding things out. The finish is medium in length, rich in vanilla, and smoothly warm — no age statement here, in keeping with the distillery's philosophy of letting the whisky speak for itself rather than a technical sheet. Bottled at 40% ABV, it's an accessible, versatile pour equally suited to sipping neat, on the rocks, or built into a highball.
ABOUT THE NAME
Yamazakura is a portmanteau of two Japanese words: yama, meaning "mountain," and sakura, meaning "cherry blossom" — a nod to the ephemeral beauty the cherry tree represents in Japanese culture. It's a fitting name for a whisky from a distillery with centuries of sake and shochu heritage behind it, now turning that same craftsmanship toward whisky.
STYLE BLENDED JAPANESE WHISKY
AGE STATEMENT NAS (NO AGE STATEMENT)
CASK MATURED IN EX-BOURBON BARRELS
PRODUCER SASANOKAWA SHUZO, ASAKA DISTILLERY, FUKUSHIMA
SPECIAL NOTES SASANOKAWA SHUZO HAS PRODUCED SAKE AND SHOCHU SINCE 1765; WHISKY PRODUCTION BEGAN IN 1946, WITH THE MODERN ASAKA DISTILLERY OPENING IN 2016
