Sasanokawa Shuzo is a Japanese spirits producer founded in 1765, based in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture. Its Yamazakura range is distilled at the Asaka Distillery in the Fukushima mountains — "Yama" meaning mountain and "Sakura" referring to Japan's iconic cherry blossom tree.
This peated edition blends peated and unpeated malt whiskies with grain whisky, double-distilled in copper pot stills and matured in ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximénez casks. The result is a distinctly Japanese take on smoky whisky, elegant and approachable rather than aggressively peated.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Lightly smoked caramel and vanilla, followed by cereal and citrus.
Palate: A powerful peaty finish accompanied by notes of yellow fruit.
Region: Fukushima, Japan | Style: Blended | ABV: 46% | Size: 700ml | Cask: Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Oloroso & Ex-PX