Review: The Yamazaki 25 Years Old Mizunara

Japan’s House of Suntory surprised everyone this year with a truly luxe offering: This Yamazaki Distillery offering is the oldest mizunara oak-aged whisky that the distillery has ever released. A full 25 years of time in Japanese oak is no small feat.

If you don’t already know mizunara, Suntory offers a little back story on this unique wood:

First embraced by The House of Suntory in the 1940s, Mizunara oak is known for its delicate grain and demanding nature, requiring exceptional craftsmanship. Whiskies must be aged for at least a decade for the wood to reveal its signature character: an intricate aroma woven with hints of sandalwood, coconut, and smoldering incense, resulting in whisky that is subtle, refined, yet complex.

Yamazaki 25 Years Old Mizunara is a rare and refined single malt aged exclusively in Mizunara oak casks. While previous expressions, such as Yamazaki 55 Years Old, featured partial Mizunara maturation, this release marks the oldest expression to be aged 100% in Mizunara casks from Yamazaki. To honor the rarity of this prized wood, it is encased in a handcrafted box, assembled using a traditional Japanese nail-free “locking” method.

We were fortunate to receive a sizeable sample of this prized release for review, into which we dive presently.

The Yamazaki 25 Years Old Mizunara Review

Straight away, the whisky doesn’t evoke overt age or austerity. The whisky rather hits the nose with a surprising freshness, and while it’s clearly got depth, it doesn’t feel blown out the way some whiskies that have survived into their twenties often can. Aromas of sandalwood dominate, followed by gentle touches of coconut and a light hand of vanilla. It’s gently fruity on the nose and I mean gently, touched with notes of dried apricots and peaches — but never at all candylike.

The palate again does not raise much of an eyebrow. It’s subdued and mellow, a well-tempered whisky that, much like modern, glassy Japan, does not evoke a sense of history but rather feels absolutely contemporary. That’s not a bad thing. Whisky should not taste old and dusty (unless you’re into that kind of thing), but vibrant and alive. Yamazaki 25 has that in spades: torched meringue, orange blossoms, and hints of green tea. A gentle citrus note adds a spike of blood orange peel sharpness, tinged with a hint of rosemary. The citrus reprise on the finish may make you consider a sherry element in this whisky, but that’s just your mind messing with you.

Admittedly, I can’t get behind paying $7500 for this whisky, and I have to assume that most bottles purchased will never be opened. That’s a shame, because what’s inside is quite enchanting — if not exactly life-altering.

96 proof.

A- / $7500 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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