Hakushu

Hakushu was opened by Suntory in 1973 in Yamanashi Prefecture, high in the forests at the foot of Mount Kaikomagatake in the Southern Japanese Alps. It is the sister distillery to Yamazaki, and together they supply the malts behind Suntory's Hibiki blends.

The distillery draws soft water filtered through the granite of the mountains. It uses wooden washbacks and a range of pot still shapes and sizes, which lets the team make many different styles of spirit, from unpeated to heavily peated.

The house style is fresh and green, with herbal, fruity notes and a light touch of smoke. The core range runs from the no-age-statement Distiller's Reserve to the 12, 18 and 25 Year Old, all of which have become scarce and expensive as demand for Japanese whisky has grown.

Suntory also releases limited editions that show single facets of the spirit, such as Heavily Peated, Peated Malt, Sherry Cask and Spanish Oak, and in recent years the Story of the Distillery series. Independent bottlings are very rare, so almost every Hakushu a buyer meets is an official release.