Perched in the verdant valley where the rivers Katsura, Uji and Kizu meet (near the borders of Osaka and Kyoto), Yamazaki draws life from some of Japan’s purest spring water. Nestled at the foot of Mount Tennozan and surrounded by bamboo forests, the distillery enjoys a humid, stable climate, precisely the conditions deemed ideal for nurturing a refined single malt.

The year was 1923 when Shinjiro Torii, founder of Kotobukiya (later renamed Suntory), dared to envisage a whisky with a subtle elegance suited to Japanese tastes. In 1924 he enlisted Masataka Taketsuru, fresh from studying at Glasgow University, to oversee production. Under Taketsuru’s stewardship the first malt spirit flowed in 1924, laying the cornerstone of Japan’s whisky tradition, though he would later depart to establish Nikka.

At Yamazaki, craftsmanship thrives in diversity. The distillery operates six pairs of copper stills and combines wooden and stainless fermenters to coax maximum nuance from its wort. Maturation embraces a broad palette of casks—American oak, Spanish sherry butts, and uniquely prized mizunara oak—enabling a whisper of sandalwood and oriental spice to flourish.

The resulting house style is the very essence of Japanese single malt: a harmonious blend of gentle fruit, delicate floral notes, a soothing undercurrent of wood spice, and the occasional hint of peat-soft smoke.