Suntory Royal Blended / 43% / 0.7l

Suntory Royal was officially launched in May 1960 during the company's 60th anniversary gala held at the Shin Osaka Hotel.

It was the final creation of the then 81-year-old Shinjiro Torii (1879-1962) based on detailed research into the taste preferences of the Japanese. The creative process also involved Shinjiro’s son, Keizo Saji, and Kotobukiya Ltd’s blending master, Kan Sato (the company changed its name to Suntory Ltd in 1963). During the ceremonial tasting, Shinjiro Torii is said to have compared the drink to “falling cherry blossom petals”. Little is known about the original Suntory Royal formula. Its main component was certainly whisky from the Yamazaki Distillery; it was not until the late 1970s that Hakushu and Chita whiskies were incorporated (both distilleries began distilling in 1973). The Suntory Royal Limited Design Bottle presented here was launched in 2014.

Nose: brown sugar, toffee, cappuccino, dried orange peel, cherry drops, notes of tobacco, leather and damp wood.

Palate: caramel, breakfast cereals, milk chocolate, dried plums and cherries, raisins, graham crackers and a light oak bitterness.

Finish: medium long, with notes of chocolate, coffee drops, caramel, dried fruit and a fading trace of smoke.