It’s not every day that the House of Suntory rolls out a new expression of age statement single malt. The biggest name in Japanese whisky recently announces not one, but two such expressions—and then some. It’s all part of the 2024 Tsukuriwake Series: a set of four bottlings showcasing the sheer variety of flavor quarried from the brand’s iconic malt-making facilities.
Tsukuriwake (pronounced soo-koo-ree-wah-keh) debuted in 2020 in the form of five limited edition bottles. It returned two years later with four more. The name translates to “artisanship through a diversity of making.” In practice, that means that each expression isolated a specific component that was part of the overall DNA of The Yamazaki distillery. Returning examples thus far have included peated malt, mizunara oak, Spanish oak, and puncheon (a cask larger than the typical hogshead).
For this third go-round, we got something completely different. The 2024 Tsukuriwake consists of two expressions which are completely new to the House of Suntory Portfolio: Yamazaki Golden Promise and Yamazaki Islay Peated Malt. And then, in a first for the series, we’re getting age-stated liquid: Yamazaki Mizunara 18-Year-Old and Hakushu Peated Malt 18-Year-Old. That last one also marks the first time we’ve seen a selection pulled from Hakushu, Suntory’s other legendary distillery, hidden high in the Japanese Alps.
The 2024 Tsukuriwake Series is now available globally, both in stores and online. Each of its four limited release expressions enter the bottle at 48 percent ABV, a touch higher than the 43 percent at which Suntory typically offers its flagships.
Courtesy of Suntory
Yamazaki Golden Promise takes its title from the eponymous, celebrated barley variety, cultivated in 1960s Scotland. The grain plays a role in the flagship Yamazaki 12-Year-Old, but here it’s the star of the show, imparting a rich mouthfeel backed by a sweet, custardy finish. It retails for $465 per 700ml bottle.
Courtesy of Suntory
Yamazaki Islay Peated Malt is a dram destined for smoky Scotch lovers. There are iodine-inspired tonalities that fans of such will find instantly familiar. But beyond the campfire is a brushstroke of brown sugar and umami. Like Golden Promise, it sells for $465 per 700 ml bottle.
Courtesy of Suntory
The original bottling of Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara disappeared from shelves almost instantly when it first arrived in 2017. Back for this 2024 series, we’ve been blessed with the opportunity to seize it again for $1,500 per 700 ml bottle.
It's a memorable meditation on sandalwood and toasted coconut, with an almost supernaturally long finish. Those elements are characteristic of the eponymous oak used for its maturation, sourced from the old growth forests of Hokkaido.
Courtesy of Suntory
The original run of Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt was just a year ago, as part of Suntory’s 100th anniversary limited releases. It flaunts an assertive aroma of ripened orchard fruit that resolves as shiso leaf and sansho pepper upon the tongue. As an impossible nuanced, fully-formed treatise on the elegance of Japanese whisky, it might just be the pick of the litter. Each 700 ml bottle will cost $1,200.
Related: We've Tasted Hundreds of Japanese Whiskies. Here Are the 16 Best
