The Hakushu 18 Year Peated Malt 100th Anniversary Limited Edition

18 years. Peated malt cask expression. The 100th Anniversary Limited Edition of Hakushu — commemorating a full century of Japan's mountain forest distillery, from the same Suntory program that produced the 2022 Yamazaki Peated Malt Rare Cask.

The Hakushu Distillery was established in 1973 by Suntory in the Japanese Southern Alps near Hakushu, Yamanashi Prefecture — 50 years after the founding of Yamazaki. Nestled at 700 meters elevation in dense forest, with pure mountain spring water and cool highland air, Hakushu develops a distinctively different character from its Yamazaki sister distillery: lighter, more herbaceous, with a gentle smokiness and forest freshness that the mountain terroir uniquely produces. Hakushu celebrates its centenary milestone with these 100th Anniversary Limited Editions.

The Peated Malt 100th Anniversary is the most distinctive of the centenary expressions — 18 years in casks seasoned with peated malt spirit, adding layers of smoke and peat to the Hakushu forest character. Where standard Hakushu 18 Year is celebrated for its green apple, mint, and gentle smoke, the Peated Malt edition pushes the smoke dimension forward through the cask influence, producing a more intensely smoky Hakushu that honors the distillery's heritage of gentle peat alongside its centenary milestone.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Pale golden with the characteristic light color of Hakushu's mountain-air maturation.
• Nose: Forest freshness, green apple, and gentle smoke from the peated cask influence — the Hakushu terroir meeting the peated malt character.
• Palate: Delicate and complex — the 18-year mountain maturation producing herbaceous freshness alongside the deeper smoke and peat of the cask influence.
• Finish: Long and distinctively Hakushu — the forest character and gentle smoke persisting through a clean, elevated close.

Specs

• Distillery: Hakushu, Hakushu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan (est. 1973)
• Category: Single Malt Japanese Whisky
• Age: 18 years
• Cask: Peated malt spirit-seasoned casks
• Edition: 100th Anniversary Limited Edition
• Size: 700ml

Explore the full Japanese whisky collection at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does Hakushu differ from Yamazaki? Both are Suntory single malt distilleries. Yamazaki (est. 1923) sits at the confluence of three rivers south of Kyoto in a misty valley — producing a richer, more fruit-forward and sherry-influenced style. Hakushu (est. 1973) is in the Japanese Southern Alps at 700m elevation in dense forest — producing a lighter, more herbaceous, and gently smoky style shaped by mountain air and pure spring water. They are complementary rather than competitive expressions of Suntory's distilling philosophy.
• What does the peated malt cask expression add to Hakushu 18 Year? Standard Hakushu 18 Year is celebrated for green apple, mint, and subtle smoke. The Peated Malt edition uses casks seasoned with peated malt spirit, amplifying the smoke dimension through wood influence rather than distillate. The result is a more intensely smoky Hakushu that pushes the distillery's gentle peat heritage to a more pronounced expression.
• Why is the 100th Anniversary significant? Hakushu was established in 1973 — making 2023 the distillery's 50th year, not 100th. The 100th Anniversary commemorates Suntory's founding of Japanese whisky production across both distilleries, dating to Yamazaki's 1923 establishment. Suntory celebrated the centenary of Japanese whisky as a whole.
• Is the Hakushu 18 Year Peated Malt 100th Anniversary still available? Yes — a rare find from this commemorative limited edition.