Sherry cask whisky has been a constant staple of the Suntory Whisky portfolio since 1924, a year after the distillery began construction. Shinjiro Torii, the founding father of Japanese whisky first started making his whiskies by leveraging sherry casks imported from the wine of southern Spain needed to blend his famous Akadama Sweet Wine. Hence the sherry cask was the first cask used by Suntory Whisky and plays an important role in the origin of Japanese whisky.
Over its 92-year history, Suntory Whisky has managed numerous sherry casks and sherry malts. Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo makes a point of visiting the Northern region of Spain himself. He does this to ensure that his selection of Spanish oak be sent to the “bodegas” (sherry wineries) to be made into the sherry casks used to store their Oloroso Sherry. Fukuyo carefully oversees this entire process, from the selection of the casks, to the charring and the aging of the sherry. After three years of aging, the sherry casks are sent back to Suntory’s Yamazaki distillery, ready to receive what becomes the distinguished Yamazaki Sherry Cask Whisky.
The Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 leverages the same lot of whiskies as was used for the Yamazaki Sherry cask 2013 for its base. These whiskies have matured for two more years. To this blend, Fukuoy adds various rare sherry cask single malt whiskies, some of which are more than 25 years old, creating a whisky that has a deep richness, mellowness and complexity of flavors.
Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 (96 proof)
Visual: Dark reddish-orange.
Nose: Baking spice, nutmeg, cloved orange, mexican hot chocolate, lots of bright Sherry top notes.
Taste: Instant sweet sherry, followed by a decadent spice bomb.
Finish: Long and evocative. A journey in a glass which takes you through a landscape of nuances that ultimately serve as a travelogue of the Chief Blender’s vision.
Overall: There are folios of flavors here which open up which each consecutive sip. This is a whisky which doesn’t need cutting with water or chilling with ice. If you do decide to follow one of these two paths, be very cautious about overdoing it. Use no more than a half teaspoon of water, or a very small 1×1″ ice cube lest you over dilute and lose the subtleties. Almost a dessert whisky, sherry predominates, but never overwhelms. A truly fine and luscious single malt.
GSN Rating: A+
For more information go to: Whisky Suntory
Leave a Reply