Yamazaki Releases Its Oldest Mizunara-Only Aged Whisky

When Japanese distilleries started aging their whisky in Mizunara oak in the 1940s and ‘50s, it wasn’t from a desire to try something new but rather out of necessity; World War II and its aftermath had cut off access to American and European oak.

Found in the Hokkaido region of Japan and other parts of East Asia, Mizunara is not only a rare wood but also notoriously difficult to use for barrel making. Fashioning a whisky cask from Mizunara oak requires extra skill and attention from the coopers who work with the slow-growing, crooked, and porous material that’s prone to leakage.

The benefit of working with a wood that has so many drawbacks is the finished product: whisky with distinct character, unique flavor, and incredible complexity. Yamazakithe oldest malt whisky distillery in Japan and a cornerstone of the House of Suntoryhas been working with Mizunara oak for more than seven decades and continues to explore the boundaries of aging whisky in the celebrated oak today.

The latest Yamazaki release, 25 Years Old Mizunarais the oldest 100% Mizunara-cask-aged Yamazaki expression from the House of Suntory. Most whiskies that are labeled as Mizunara are actually aged primarily in other types of oak and then finished for a shorter time in Mizunara casks. Yamazaki, on the other hand, has the advantage of plentiful supplies of older whisky aged exclusively in Mizunara.

Shinji Fukuyo, chief blender for House of Suntory, explains that when whisky is aged in these casks for 10 years, the characteristic “spicy aroma of Mizunara can be sensed in the finish. By 20 years, the profile gains richness and complexity, with roasted coconut and incense-like aromatics coming into greater focus. It’s at 25 years and beyond that Mizunara truly reveals its potential.”

Per regulations, the 25-year label for this whisky is only referring to the youngest whisky in the blend. James Bowker, the global advocacy manager for the House of Suntory, says, “Generally, we have around a 10-year age variance for House of Suntory whiskies. So this is 25 years [at the] youngest. We can’t tell you the highest age, but I can assure you that the average age is actually quite significantly higher.”

The flavors imparted by Mizunara are unlike those from any other oak. “The Yamazaki 25 Years Old Mizunara has an extraordinary texture, silky and refined, with flavors that unfold in layers,” Fukuyo notes. “It begins with an apricot-like sweetness, followed by warm spices. While the signature coconut note from younger Mizunara still shines through, it’s the complex Mizunara wood character that truly takes center stage at this age. This whisky remains remarkably fresh despite its age, which speaks to both the quality of the distillate and the patience required to mature Mizunara properly.”

While Mizunara casks make up less than 1% of Suntory’s total inventory, the 25 Years Old Mizunara will become a part of Yamazaki’s permanent range, alongside the 18 Year Old Mizunara expression. It’s a testament to how long and how extensively Suntory has worked with the rare oak. “Everyone else started using Mizunara about 10 years ago,” Bowker says. “We’ve got 70 years experience.

“We’ve worked out which parts of the warehouse it needs to go in [or] how — if you know you’re going to age it for 30 years — how many years prior would you have wanted a whiskey to be in that cask to extract the harshness of the cask? All these sorts of things. And I’m always mind-boggled by the quality of the Mizunara whiskies.”

This may be the oldest Mizunara cask-aged whisky released to date, and Fukuyo is still exploring its boundaries. “Even after 25 years, we’ve found that the Mizunara oak influence remains balanced, never overshadowing the underlying whisky,” he explains. “While I don’t think 25 years is necessarily the starting point, I believe that as time progresses — through 30, 40, and even 50 years — there is potential for even greater depth and subtlety to develop, revealing further uniqueness and special qualities of Mizunara.”

25 Years Old Mizunara will be a Yamazaki perennial, but it won’t necessarily be widely available — quantities are “limited,” according to Suntory. An exact number isn’t available, but it’s likely that even at a suggested retail price of $7,500, demand for this release will outstrip supply.