A tribute to the artistry and innovation that define the whisky maker, this expression celebrates Mizunara Japanese Oak and the spirit of Yamazaki.

Bottled at 96 proof, Yamazaki 25 Years Old Mizunara is a single malt aged exclusively in Mizunara oak casks. While previous expressions, such as Yamazaki 55 Years Old, featured partial Mizunara maturation, this release marks the oldest expression to be aged 100% in Mizunara casks from Yamazaki.

To honor the rarity of this wood, the bottle is encased in a handcrafted box, assembled using a traditional Japanese nail-free “locking” method.

Yamazaki 25 Years Old Mizunara is available for $7,500.

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Via barrels handed down from one blender to the next, Hibiki 40 Year Old has been made possible thanks to decades of expertise and experience in the art of blending. The blenders carefully selected a variety of The House of Suntory’s ultra-high-aged whiskies produced by earlier generations.

Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo crafted Hibiki 40 Year Old. “I would like people to enjoy the pure aroma that has been sharpened over the years; the tranquility of old temples and storehouses and the nostalgic warm feeling that accompanies them,” said Fukuyo.

The expression demonstrates the next chapter for Hibiki, where its signature “creating harmony” not only resonates with the Mizunara Japanese oak and the Spanish oak, but is further elevated with the aged American oak.

To honor Japanese craftsmanship, The House of Suntory has partnered with the Japanese washi artist Eriko Horiki to hand craft the washi label on the Hibiki 40 Year Old box. The bottle is fashioned from crystal glass, boasting 30 facets intricately crafted by a renowned glassware maker known as a trusted purveyor to the Japanese imperial family. It is decorated with traditional Japanese maki-e, mother-of-pearl inlay, and gold lacquer to pay homage to our heritage and tradition.

The wooden box (see above) is made of 12 kinds of Japanese wood such as pine and zelkova, and has 12 faces, representing the 12 months of the year. Around the box, flowers and grasses of the four seasons of Japan are depicted in maki-e lacquer, representing the changing seasons and linking the past and future through Hibiki.

Only 400 bottles of Hibiki 40 Year Old will be released, with each bottle retailing for $35,000.

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Suntory’s 5th Generation Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo has pushed the boundaries of whisky making with this series, whose name translated means artisanship through a diversity of making, by using ingredients like wood, and processes that expand the previous Tsukuriwake (pronounced soo-koo-ree-wah-keh) range to showcase the diversity of whisky making.

“Tsukuriwake translates to ‘artisanship through a diversity of making’, which is truly what the 2024 Series represents with each of the four liquids included,” said Shinji Fukuyo, Chief Blender of Suntory. “While past releases from the collection focused mainly on the details of the casks, The 2024 Tsukuriwake Series emphasizes the elements of whisky making, such as ingredient selection, peat, and cask. This series is the ultimate showcase of the incredible diversity of choices that goes into the making of Yamazaki and Hakushu whiskies.”

In previous years, the series has mainly focused on the casks matured in the lands of Yamazaki. The 2024 Series reveals that the Tsukuriwake approach goes beyond diversifying the whiskies in multiple casks to incorporate elements of whisky-making, such as ingredient selection, peat and cask.

Yamazaki Golden Promise is made from golden promise barley, a standout grain cultivated in Scotland in the 1960s. Distilled in Japan since 2009 and aged in American Oak casks, it delivers a maltier, richer Yamazaki profile. It is perfect for more mature whiskies and has been added to Yamazaki 12 Year Old.

Islay Peat is often recognized as a distinctive character amongst scotch, with a softer and sweeter mouthfeel than Scotland’s mainland peat. The water and maturation process used to create Yamazaki Islay Peated Malt yields a balanced sweetness that complements the smoke.

Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara (2024 Tsukuriwake Edition) introduces a limited-edition label for Suntory’s flagship Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara. A long maturation period reveals its signature spiciness and incense-like sandalwood and aloe wood flavors that comprise this 100% Mizunara whisky.

Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt (2024 Tsukuriwake Edition) introduces a limited-edition label for Suntory’s celebrated Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt. To honor the blending at the Hakushu distillery, it enables The House of Suntory to produce more than 100 different malt whiskies. A lengthy maturation process in Hakushu’s  water reveals a distinct smokiness with spicy, peppery notes.

The Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara and Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt were launched last year for the House of Suntory’s 100th anniversary and were continued due to their popularity among consumers.

The House of Suntory’s 2024 Tsukuriwake Series’ Yamazaki Golden Promise and Yamazaki Islay Peated Malt retail for $465, while Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara and Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt retail for $1,500 and $1,200, respectively.

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Last year, the brand became a major sponsor of Carnegie Hall as part of the 2022–2023 season. As part of this partnership, Suntory supported the Notables Fall Celebration at the legendary New York City venue last December. Selected Notables Committee members and donors were invited to participate in a special whisky tasting before enjoying the evening’s festivities, which consisted of an exclusive concert in Weill Recital Hall and an after-party. Attendees were joined by Shinji Fukuyo, Suntory’s fifth-generation Chief Blender, for a seminar on the history behind the craftsmanship of Suntory’s whiskies and the reasons why whisky and music have more in common than one might think.

“The first blend of Hibiki in 1989 was inspired by music. Dr. Inatomi, Suntory’s third-generation Chief Blender, was a viola player,” said Fukuyo. “He blended Hibiki with Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 in mind.” Guests had the opportunity to sample our Hibiki Japanese Harmony as well as Yamazaki Sherry Cask and Hakushu Smoky—two key components used in the blending process for Hibiki Japanese Harmony. At Suntory, a variety of whiskies are distilled as components and used to create perfectly balanced whiskies—a process we call tsukuriwake, or “diversity of making.” Fukuyo shared more about his role as Chief Blender and the importance of carefully monitoring the quality of whisky during the long-aging process, determining the characteristics of each component, and blending them to create the perfect recipe. According to Fukuyo, “just as an orchestra is made from a harmony of instruments, our whisky is perfected by bringing the harmony of the diverse whiskies together.” After the seminar, participants enjoyed an intimate private concert that featured the Grammy Award–winning Attacca Quartet, followed by an exclusive after-party featuring premier spirits and beverages provided by Suntory and Beam Suntory.

At Suntory, they believe their commitment to enriching people’s lives goes beyond manufacturing consumer and luxury goods. Through this dedication, they aim to share their success with their customers, building long-lasting relationships in the spirit of “Giving Back to society,” while forging greater bonds of appreciation between people and the world around them. As part of those efforts, the brand established Suntory Hall more than 30 years ago as Tokyo’s first-ever dedicated concert hall for live classical music. Since then, Suntory has continued to share the joy of music with people across the globe, offering concerts as well as music education programs.

Recently, Suntory hosted an invite-only whisky tasting experience at Carnegie Hall.  House of Suntory Senior Brand Manager Taki Nakatani led the tasting which showcased the intersection between music and Suntory’s Yamazaki Tsukuriwake Collection, which includes Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak, Mizunara and 12 Years. The tasting was followed by a Q&A session and a performance by alumni musicians from NYO-Jazz, Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensemble program.

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Founded in 2015 by Makiyo Masa, dekantā sources some of the latest and rarest bottles of Japanese spirits. Masa began her journey with Japanese whisky, noticing the gap in the market for an online retailer that met the growing demand worldwide. dekantā now features over 2,000 products.

Back in March, I spoke Masa in New York City about the growth of Japanese whisky, sourcing rare finds and the mysteries of Mizunara.

The Whiskey Lifestyle: What inspired you to start dekantā?

Makiyo Masa: Nothing really [or] particularly inspired me to start dekantā. Back to 2013, I first started my business in Asia, in Hong Kong and Macao, I was selling wine and Scottish whiskey. Then I told my husband, who is my business partner, “In Japan, we also produced very good whiskey.” He was very surprised. So, we just started to put some Japanese whiskey into auctions. We were one of the first people to start doing that and it went very well. So, that’s how it started.

TWLS: Having been in the Japanese whiskey space for that long, what it’s like to see the evolution and growth of the spirit?

MM: It’s just unbelievable, the way it’s been growing — it has become so popular. I still couldn’t believe it. I remember in 2014 I hadn’t done the Suntory Rolling Stones, so I bought one for myself for $5,000. But nowadays, you can see it on the retail market for about $55,000. So, this is just unbelievable to see. [Editor’s Note: It now retails for $10,000 more than when this interview was done.]

TWLS: When you are sourcing your products, what inspires you? How do you decide which whiskeys you all sell?

MM: We have two main categories of products, which require different approaches to purchasing. One category is the more standard, popular one. People know or have heard of these [whiskies] mostly likely like a Yamazaki 12, Hibiki 17, Nikka, Yoichi — just the standard ones. The other section is where our Tokyo purchasing team will source the special ones that people never heard of from small craft distilleries like Ji-Whisky, they also produce great whiskies. I also see a spike in demand for vintage collectible bottles, released in the 60s, 70s and 80s, a lot of older bottlings and in particular, from the 1980s for Olympic winter, Olympic games, those bottles. So, we have a purchase team just so working on this part everyday, buying all the older stock anywhere we can source.

TWLS: What has been a unique whiskey that you’ve tried or something that surprised you when you first tasted it?

MM: There are a lot of unique ones for me. Every time I try something new, I feel surprised. Hibiki 21 is my personal favorite personal favorite. So, for really unique one I would say to Yamazaki 25. The color is very sherry. It’s extra finish with Mizunara cask, so when you try [it] you would just think it’s a very sherry but the finish is so beautiful. It’s just finished in the most beautiful way in Mizunara. It’s just surprised me.

TWLS: How do you introduce Japanese Whisky to people?

MM: I always pour the whiskey first. Just try it. That’s the best way to introduce it. Then I start to give them the information about the distillery, the bottle, the label and story behind it. I think the best experience is always to try.

TWLS: We have one here, so let’s try it. [laughs]

MM: This is the Yamazakura, a selection of 963 18 year old pure malt whiskey finished in Mizunara wood. This [distillery] used to make sake, so it’s an old sake producing distillery. In 2000, they started bottling their first single cask, so this is the oldest Yamazakura you will some on the market at 18 years old. [pours whiskey] I don’t know if you’re familiar with Mizunara Oak. The Mizunara tree has to grow to be 200 years old in order for you to cut and use it for something. So, any Mizunara cask is over 200 years old so that’s why its very popular.

TWLS: What is it about the Mizunara tree that makes it so great for aging whiskey?

MM: I cannot give you a very technical answer, but I guess it’s just because it’s unique and it takes a really long time. That’s so rare. And the finish is very smooth. It has a very beautiful balance.

TWLS: What’s next for dekantā?

MM: Our main focus there will always be whiskey because we are so passionate about that. We started with whiskey, but we also sell wine, shochu, awamori — we have a lot of other spirits. For the future, I want to becomes more branded. So, we may try to do more of our open private label bottling, which are from some small distilleries because they are great whiskies but people just never heard of. It’s dekantā’s mission to bring them to our consumers and the world.

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