A limited presentation of Yamazaki 25 Year Old made to honour Japanese hospitality. The neck is tied with a mizuhiki, a five-cord knot that stands for joined hands and hearts, and the bottle comes in a paulownia wood box wrapped in washi paper.
About This Whisky
The whisky has spent at least 25 years in wood, mostly ex-sherry casks, with a small proportion of mizunara-aged malt in the vatting. The sherry gives it strawberry, pear and dark fruit, while the Japanese oak adds a light bitter edge and a note of incense at the close. It is bottled at 43%. The paulownia box and washi wrapping follow Japanese gift custom, so the packaging matters as much as the liquid if you plan to hand it on.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Summer strawberry, ripe pear and citrus, with smoked honey and old wood.
- Palate: Rich and rounded, with quince, soft fruit, roasted nuts, herbs and a little cocoa.
- Finish: Long, turning drier, with hazelnut, cocoa, pepper and a faint mizunara bitterness.
Serving & Food
Open it for a small group and pour modest measures, neat, at room temperature. A Japanese-style tasting glass or a narrow tulip keeps the fruit focused. Serve alongside wagashi, grilled unagi or a plate of aged Gouda.
How to Enjoy
A gift where the ceremony of presentation counts, such as a senior business thank-you or a wedding.
Product Details
Producer: Suntory
Distillery: Yamazaki
Country: Japan
Style: Japanese single malt whisky
Age: 25 years
Edition: Hospitality Limited Edition
Cask: Mainly ex-sherry casks, small share of mizunara
Presentation: Mizuhiki knot, paulownia box, washi paper
ABV: 43%
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Yamazaki is also home to Sen no Rikyu, Master of "The Way of Tea". The area was once known as Minaseno, where some of the purest water in Japan rises, and the tea master's link to the valley is part of the distillery's story.
The tea ceremony is built on care for the guest, and that idea of hospitality runs through this edition, from the knot on the neck to the wooden box it sits in.