Yamazaki 18 Year Review
In-Depth Review
Yamazaki 18. The king of Japanese single malts. Japanese whisky connoisseurs all around the world adore this expression for its beautiful, fruity, oaky, sherry-laced profile. But as with all great Japanese whisky, Yamazaki has all but disappeared from circulation. They simply don’t have to the stock to keep up with the demand. Especially as an 18 year product. So while this whisky once sat on shelves from New York to Tokyo, it is now exceedingly rare to see a bottle in person – let alone anywhere near its retail price. They are now so marked up that its original retail price is almost irrelevant. You won’t find it for retail. So if you do see a bottle of Yamazaki 18, it’s just a matter of how much of markup you are willing to endure (normally in the hundreds of dollars). But is this bottle truly worth 3x-5x as much as a bottle of Yamazaki 12? Some will ask if that extra aging really make much of a difference.
But there’s a lot more to Yamazaki 18 than another 6 years of aging. A Suntory brand ambassador explained to me that the difference between the Yamazaki 12 and the 18 goes far deeper. Instead, Suntory uses a much different makeup of barrels in their 18 year expression versus the 12 year version. The 12 year bottling is made up of almost 80% white oak casks with the remaining 20% split between Mizunara and sherry casks. Yamazaki 18, on the other hand, is instead made up of up to 80% sherry casks with white oak making up a much smaller minority in the final blend. This completely changes the personality of Yamazaki 18, making a much deeper, richer, and complex whisky experience.
But can an 18 year expression really be worth $750 or even $1,000? Let’s dive in and find out.
Age: 18 Year
ABV: 43%
Cask: ex-Bourbon, ex-sherry, and Mizunara oak
MSRP: Not relevant
Distillery Name: Yamazaki
Review Date: 12/11/20
Color: Dark Gold
Nose: First impressions are of a strong sweetness mixed with hearty umami notes coming from that sherry cask influence. Lots of nuts, raisins, apples and stewed fruits. Reminds me of sweet candied red apples dipped in butterscotch and caramel. This isn’t a sherry bomb but any stretch but nicely integrates the sweetness with a light oak and woody spice. A rich and rewarding nose.
Palate: The sherry flavors hit the palate first, cascading sweetness rolls over the tongue and coats the whole mouth. Lots of nuts, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, mixed with dark stone fruits. There are faint wisps of smoke and ash, likely a product of some peated casks used in this blend. Hints of sandalwood and cinnamon sticks appear. Right before the finish, a spiced raspberry compote makes an appearance, with some leather and char coming through as well. The mouthfeel is excellent for 43% whisky. It has good weight; good viscosity and the added spice makes it feel like it’s punching above its stated ABV.
Finish: Long finish featuring light brown sugar, vanilla, sandalwood, and more dried fruits. The finish is like walking through an old rickhouse, or an old candy factory. The sweetness of the palate still wafts in the air, but the finish is more dominated by wood, leather, and another whiff of smoke. Maybe the distillery itself has somehow imbued itself into the whisky?
Final Thoughts: This is an incredible whisky and tt completely blows the 12 out of the water. Upon tasting them side by side, the 12 year version is much more tropical, bright and refreshing while the Yamazaki 18 is a much darker, brooding type of whisky that shows off a completely different side of Suntory. It still maintains a lot of what makes Japanese whisky great, a clean, fruit-filled, balanced spirit, but just takes to a much deeper level. More chocolate, more stewed fruits and more layers to unravel.
I cannot wait for a future where this exists at a sub $500 price tag. Its retail price is rumored to be under $300 but I’ve never seen it anywhere close to that. Can a bottle of Yamazaki 18 be worth upwards of $1,000? No. Not really.
But it is absolutely incredible.
