Suntory is the house behind Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki, three of the best known names in Japanese whisky, and behind Roku gin. On this page you will find single malts from Yamazaki and Hakushu, the Hibiki and Toki blends, Chita single grain and both versions of Roku.
Suntory and the Birth of Japanese Whisky
The story starts in Osaka in 1899, when Shinjiro Torii opened a shop called Torii Shoten to sell imported wines. In 1923 he built Yamazaki, the first malt whisky distillery in Japan, and the following year put Masataka Taketsuru in charge of it. Taketsuru had studied in Glasgow and learned the craft in Scottish distilleries, and the first whisky from Yamazaki was ready in 1929. In 2014 Suntory bought the American spirits company Beam, and the group has been called Suntory Global Spirits since May 2024.
Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita: Three Suntory Whisky Distilleries
Yamazaki single malt
Yamazaki sits in Shimamoto, between Osaka and Kyoto. Its malts are rich and fruity, with dried fruit and sweet spice, and the distillery is known for casks made from mizunara, a Japanese oak that gives notes often compared to sandalwood and incense. Here you can pick from Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, Yamazaki 12 Year Old, Yamazaki 18 Year Old, the 18 Year Old Mizunara, and the special releases Golden Promise and Islay Peated.
Hakushu single malt
Hakushu was founded in 1973 in the forest on the slopes of Mount Kaikoma, in Yamanashi Prefecture. The style is fresher and greener than Yamazaki, with herbal notes and often a light touch of smoke. Hakushu 18 Year Old is here in its classic version and as the Peated Malt.
Chita single grain
Chita, on the coast of Aichi Prefecture near Nagoya, opened in 1972 and makes Suntory's grain whisky. Suntory Chita is light and soft, with citrus and a gentle sweetness, and Chita grain is a key building block in both Hibiki and Toki.
Hibiki and Toki: Suntory Blended Whisky
Hibiki, whose name means resonance or echo, was launched in 1989 and blends malt and grain whisky from all three distilleries: Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita. Hibiki Japanese Harmony followed in 2015, a blend without an age statement that brings together at least ten malt and grain whiskies from five different cask types. For something older, there are Hibiki 21 Year Old and Hibiki 30 Year Old. Suntory Toki came out in 2016 and was built for the highball, combining Hakushu malt aged in American white oak, Chita grain and Yamazaki malt.
Roku Gin: Suntory's Japanese Craft Gin
Roku is Japanese for six, a nod to the six Japanese botanicals in the gin: sakura flower, sakura leaf, sencha tea, gyokuro tea, sansho pepper and yuzu peel. It makes a fine gin and tonic. Roku Sakura Bloom puts the cherry blossom further forward. Browse more gin from around the world if you want to compare styles.
Suntory Whisky FAQ
Which Suntory whisky is best to start with?
Toki and Hibiki Japanese Harmony are smooth, approachable blends. If you want a single malt, Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve or Yamazaki 12 Year Old is the classic first step, and Hakushu shows the fresher, greener side of the house.
What is the difference between Yamazaki and Hakushu?
Yamazaki is fuller and fruitier, with dried fruit, spice and the incense notes of mizunara oak. Hakushu comes from a mountain forest and makes a lighter, greener whisky, often with a little smoke.
How do you drink Japanese whisky?
Neat or with a few drops of water to open up the aroma, or as a highball: whisky, plenty of ice and chilled soda water, which is how much of it is drunk in Japan. You will find more whisky from every whisky region and other Japanese spirits and drinks in our range.
How is Japanese whisky different from Scotch?
The methods came from Scotland, but because Suntory owns several distilleries, it can make the many different spirits a blend like Hibiki needs in house, and it adds Japanese mizunara oak to the cask mix. To compare, try a Speyside single malt from The Macallan.