Australians have the chance to get their hands on the annual Yamazaki Tsukuriwake Selection this year, for the first time ever.
Just 228 sets are available in Australia of the 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection, a collection of four Yamazaki single malts that together make up the composition of Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky.
The House of Suntory launched the collection at Nobu Restaurant in Sydney on August 30, with a masterclass hosted by Beam Suntory brand ambassador Tom Scott.
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“This is a very special tasting – it’s the very first time these whiskies have been tasted in Australia,” Scott told media guests.
The 2022 collection includes the following whiskies:
- Yamazaki Puncheon – considered the ‘heart’ of Yamazaki Single Malt, Puncheon is comprised of malts aged in large-format American oak, imparting subtle notes to the delicate Yamazaki spirit;
- Yamazaki Peated Malt – the ‘hidden accent’ giving Yamazaki its complexity and lingering finish, comprised of heavily peated malted barley that imparts subtly smoky, earthy notes;
- Yamazaki Spanish Oak – the ‘depth-enhancer’ giving Yamazaki its quintessential multi-layered full flavour with mature fruity notes; and
- Yamazaki Mizunara – matured in native Japanese mizunara oak casks, contributing a distinctive Japanese spiciness and incense-like flavour of sandalwood and agarwood.
Scott said tasting the four whiskies alongside the flagship Yamazaki 12 Year Old highlights the distillery’s unique blending methodology, marrying whiskies that have all been produced in-house using a variety of grain types, wash backs, distillation methods and casks.
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The unprecedented arrival of the Tsukuriwake Selection on Australian shores surely suggests a loosening of Yamazaki’s whisky stocks, which have been highly constrained ever since Yamazaki 25 won World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2012.
The whisky Yamazaki has since laid down will soon start coming of age, but a Beam Suntory spokesperson rejected the suggestion that the distiller is poised to open the floodgates.
“There will definitely be more releases in the future, however… this would be in limited quantities,” the spokesperson said.
“Liquid is still scarce, however Australia is fast becoming a priority market, so we are receiving more limited product.”
Sold only in a set, the 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection is available in top premium liquor stores with an RRP of $2800.
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