Suntory Royal Special Reserve

Founded in 1923 by Shinjiro Torri, the seeds of Yamazaki were planted when he sent a worker, Masetaka Taketsura, to Scotland to learn the art of whisky distillation. His trip lasted 3 years before he returned and with Torri, selected the site of Yamazaki distillery. The first spirit flowed in 1924 and just a few years later, Torri changed the name of his company to Suntory, which remains in use today. Floor malting did exist at Yamazaki, but this ended in 1971 and has since relied on shipments of barley. The distillery has a unique assortment of stills, coming in all shapes and sizes. This allows a variety of whiskies to be produced, assisted by worm tubs, shell condensers and tube condensers. Production was increased further in 2013 with a $50 million investment, as demand has rocketed for Japanese whisky. Since then, Yamazaki, like so many Japanese distilleries, has suffered from a shortage of stock and has revamped its range to overcome this.