Whiskey "Suntory": reviews. Whiskey "Suntory Kakubin", "Suntory Old"

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Milk is also milk in Africa. Is this common saying true for whiskey? Yes, if the classic Scottish technology is observed. And all the more so, whiskey becomes like an authentic alcoholic drink if it is produced in an area that, according to climatic characteristics, resembles the Highlands. It's hard to believe, but the town of Yamazaki in Japan is very similar to the Scottish highlands. At the very least, the Suntory whiskey, which will be discussed in this article, is gaining a generous aroma of peat haze there. Read below about how this drink is made and what its taste characteristics are.

Brand history: pre-production

Toward the end of the 19th century, the fame of Scotch whiskey reached Japan. For a long time the drink was imported. And in 1917, long before the appearance of Suntory whiskey, a certain businessman Shusei Setsu decided to establish his own whiskey production. The Japanese are serious about everything. Therefore, the first step was a competition among Osaka University students. The winner was Masataka Taketsuru, whose ancestors have long been engaged in the production of sake. This young man went to Scotland to developtheir distillation skills. He spent two years in the country. He studied at the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, and then worked as an intern at the Longmorne and Haselbarn distilleries. Masataka returned to Japan in 1921. He brought with him a we alth of experience, as well as his Scottish wife, Rita Cowan. But the Land of the Rising Sun at that time was going through a period of economic recession, and Shusei Setsu no longer had money to establish a distillery.

Birth of Suntory

Masataka Taketsuru's ambitious plans were realized with the help of another entrepreneur, Shinjiro Tori. He ran the Kotobukiya company, which produced local types of alcohol. Already in 1923, a distillery started operating in the mountain town of Yamazaki. The first spirits were obtained the following year. In 1929, first Japan, and then the whole world learned about Suntory whiskey. The name is made up of two words: the English sun - the sun, and Tori - the names of the head of the company. And the winemaker, who, in essence, ensured the success of the product, broke with Suntory in 1934. He founded his company "Nikka" and built a distillery in the town of Yoichi. The Second World War and the defeat of Japan in it caused great damage to the whiskey industry in the Land of the Rising Sun. But already in the 60s of the last century, things got better again.

Production technology

Masataka Taketsuru, who has received a thorough education, has established a whiskey-making process that is as close as possible to the classic Scotch. Here by all meansdouble distillation is carried out and pot stills are used - special distillation cubes. At first, even m alt was purchased in Scotland, although now the Suntory company makes its whiskey mainly from domestic raw materials. As for beverages made from grain crops, corn is one of them in Japan. Whiskey matures, as it should be, in oak barrels from sherry and bourbon. The company buys containers abroad. But he doesn't shy away from innovation. Along with American and White Spanish Oak, Suntory uses the precious wood of the Japanese Mizunara tree. The company has eight hundred thousand barrels for the maturation of the drink. She also recently opened her own m alt shop.

Product range

Suntory is the most popular whiskey brand in Japan today. The company produces both grain, blended and monom alt drinks. In the eighties of the last century, new distilleries were opened in the cities of Shito and Hakushu. The first one produces only a grain drink. At present, the company produces eight names of Suntory whiskey: Kakubin, Hibiki, Yamazaki, Imperial, Royal, Reserve, Old and Hakushu. This latter brand is especially close to the Scottish one and delights consumers with a slight smell of peat haze. In Japan, it is customary to drink whiskey during lunch. That is why "Suntory Hakushu" is perfect for seafood dishes. Most of the company's products are sold domestically. Exporting countries of Suntory whiskey are China, Taiwan, UK.

Suntory Kakubin

It's time to take a closer look at the company's eight brands. The first name - Suntory Shirofuda (which means "White Label"), born in 1929 with the light hand of Masataka Taketsuru, gave impetus to the emergence of others. Today, the company's best-selling brand is Suntory Kakubin whiskey. The name refers primarily to the container in which the drink is poured. Kakubin means "square bottle" in Japanese. This is the oldest brand of Suntory in existence today. She was born in 1937. But not only the original faceted bottle in the shape of a turtle shell creates a formula for the success of this brand of alcoholic beverage. Whiskey "Suntory Kakubin" reviews are called very soft and refreshing. It is easy to drink, despite a solid fortress of forty degrees. Experts recommend drinking this drink during dinner (it goes well with grilled and steak) or as an aperitif. Its amber color is natural and no caramel dyes have been added.

Suntory Old Whiskey

This brand was put into production in 1940, but because of the war its sales were temporarily stopped. Suntory Old is the second most popular variety in Japan. Whiskey has a classic strength of 40 degrees, but it is easy to drink - even without soda and ice. The drink has an incredibly rich and aged bouquet, and the taste is somewhat similar to bourbon, sweet and pleasant. It differs from the Scottish ancestor in a lesser degree of “smokyness” and “peatyness”, which ladies may even like. The Japanese are docks in the design of goods, and this time they showed their skill by dressing whiskey"Suntory Old" in a round black bottle, reminiscent of an old lacquered chest. Alcohols for this brand are aged for eight years. In terms of production, this drink was born from an equal ratio of grain and single m alt whiskey.

Suntory Yamazaki variety

The distillery in Yamazaki City is the oldest in the Suntory empire. That is why professionals in the field of whiskey production managed to experiment and create several brands that differ from each other in aging and blending of alcohols. All of them have a fortress of 43%. Twelve-year-old drink has a balanced taste and rich delicate aroma. Since the Japanese are accustomed to drinking whiskey at dinner, there is no overpowering in Japanese brands. Japanese whiskey should go well with fine fish and seafood dishes. Eighteen-year-old and 25-year-old "Suntory" are whiskeys created from single m alt spirits aged in barrels where sherry had previously matured. Beverages from the Yamazaki distillery are distinguished by hints of dried fruit and woody notes.

Hakushu

The distillery in Hakushu was opened in the 70s of the last century. It is located in the forests on the slopes of Mount Kaikomagatak. The climate is reminiscent of the Scottish. Mountain streams that have passed through the filter of granite rocks give the drink softness. The 12-year-old whiskey is dominated by the taste of kiwi, green pears and mint, softened by the aroma of apples and basil. The color of the drink resembles champagne. In the eighteen-year-old Suntory whiskey, reviews saw shades of quince, mango, scents of jasmine, dry herbs and delicate peathaze. A mature 25-year-old drink surprises with the sweet taste of creme brulee and pineapple. The bouquet is dominated by lavender and sage with a hint of smoke and cypress. The aftertaste reads notes of caramel and fruit.