Yamazaki 18 Year

Yamazaki 18 Year is Japan's oldest whisky distillery's masterpiece, a blended single malt from Suntory in Osaka that showcases an extraordinary range of cask types: mizunara oak, sherry, bourbon, and wine. This complexity yields plum, fig, clove, coconut, and a honeyed sweetness that is unmistakably delicate. Jim Murray awarded it 97.5 points in his Whisky Bible 2015 edition, triggering a global shortage. It is 30% lighter in body than #4 Glenfiddich 21 Year Gran Reserva, yet its price has surged 500% since 2015, now often exceeding $900 per bottle.