Product description
Sasanokawa Shuzo was founded in 1765 to produce sake and shōchu.
Immediately after World War II ended the company applied for a whisky-making license, which was granted in 1946, and for the following years produced the lowest grade of blended whisky. In 2015, to mark the 250th Anniversary Sasanokawa Shuzo built Asaka malt distillery, small outfit located in Fukushima prefecture. The same year the Yamazakura brand was introduced mainly for the European market. The name translates from the Japanese to Mountain (Yama) of Cherry Trees (sakura). Yamazakura Peated Blend was launched in 2022 and contains a portion of Asaka peated malt whisky distilled from barley malted to specification of 50ppm phenols. The company does not disclose information regarding the remaining components.
Nose: mildly smoky, malted barley, vanilla, caramel, buttered toast, baked apples, dash of lemon pepper, and a pinch of salt.
Palate: breakfast cereals, vanilla, honey, caramel, apples, sweet pastries, orange peel, dash of cinnamon, and distant whiff of smoke.
Finish: medium long, with notes of peat smoke, vanilla, caramel, hints of citrus and sweet spice.