Yamazaki Islay Peated Malt uses barley malted with Islay peat, then brewed and distilled at Yamazaki. Part of the 2024 Tsukuriwake Series and bottled at 48%, it sets island smoke against the distillery's soft, sweet house style.
About This Whisky
This is not a Yamazaki finished in an ex-Islay cask. The peat works at the malting stage: the barley was malted with Islay peat at Laphroaig and shipped to Japan for fermentation and distillation. Suntory says Islay peat brings a smokiness distinct from mainland peat, and that Yamazaki's water and maturation lend a sweetness to balance it. Tasters find the smoke lighter than on Islay itself, with lemon, honey and a fresh, almost maritime quality rather than tar or iodine.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Bright gold. Gently smoky with a hint of biscuit.
- Palate: Smooth and sweet like brown sugar, followed by the citrus of bitter orange.
- Finish: Warm, slow and sweetly smoky.
Serving & Food
Chill the bottle lightly and serve in a highball with sparkling water and a strip of lemon peel, or neat in a small tulip. Oysters, smoked mackerel and chicken thigh yakitori with salt all suit the gentle smoke.
How to Enjoy
Peat drinkers who want to see smoke in a Japanese setting, or Yamazaki fans ready to try something smokier than usual.
Product Details
Producer: Suntory
Distillery: Yamazaki
Series: Tsukuriwake Selection 2024
Country: Japan
Region: Osaka Prefecture
Style: Japanese single malt whisky
Malt: Barley malted with Islay peat
Age: No age statement
ABV: 48%
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Suntory's 2014 purchase of Beam brought Laphroaig on Islay into the same group as Yamazaki. That link made a release like this possible: peated malt from a Scottish island distillery, distilled in the hills outside Kyoto.
Yamazaki has long made some peated spirit of its own for blending, but always in small amounts. Working with Islay malt lets the distillery show how its water and warm, humid warehouses soften a smoke normally associated with the Hebrides.