Remember the time — the years before the pandemic — when Japanese whisky fans were lamenting about the elusiveness of the Yamazaki 18 Year Old, one of Suntory’s flagship whiskies? Maybe you were part of that camp; you found yourself trundling into duty-free in some airport, your jetlagged mind suddenly invigorated by the task of looking out for that golden potion. Unless you got lucky, you usually left empty handed. Since then, the craze has died down.
Casual observers may point to the pandemic and closed borders, which meant few could embark on whisky hunts in Japan or elsewhere — even if the online marketplace provided some (possibly dubious) options — as well as the eye-watering prices of the Yamazaki 18 Year Old. Suntory has had a hand to play in this diversion as well. Over the years, it has introduced non-age statement whiskies , moving the conversation and obsession away from their flagship age-statement whiskies.
Along the way, it also released some limited-edition bottles that showcased an experimental spirit, such as the Yamazaki Bordeaux Wine Cask in 2020, and the Tsukuriwake selection of four whiskies, which was launched in 2020 and 2022 in Japan and the international market respectively. The Tsukuriwake series, which explores diverse whisky-making techniques, skipped a release last year but launched its 2024 edition in Singapore in July. It’s anyone’s guess if this series would turn into a regular biannual offering (Suntory has stated it has no plan.