user Hakushu is Suntory’s second most popular single malt whiskey after Yamazaki.
It is one of the most difficult Japanese whiskeys to obtain due to a series of sales closures and end-of-life sales due to high global demand.
This section introduces the list price, availability, appeal, and taste of Hakushu 12-Year-Old, which is one of the most expensive whiskies in the series compared to Hakushu Non-Age.
Suntory’s Leading Single Malt Whisky Hakushu 12 Year Old.
One type of whisky produced by Suntory is Hakushu 12 Year Old.
It is literally made from malt produced at the Hakushu distillery, and is made only from malt whiskey that has been aged at least 12 years after distillation.
Since the minimum age is indicated on the label, some of the malt has been aged for more than 12 years, and the fact that the age is indicated on the label means that it has the appropriate credibility.
Currently, not only Hakushu 12-Year-Old but also other premium Japanese whiskeys sold by Suntory, such as Yamazaki and Hibiki, are becoming difficult to obtain.
The reason is that they have become extremely rare whiskies that are now a shadow of their former selves due to the Japanese whisky boom that has taken place around the world.
Hakushu Distillery surrounded by forest
Hakushu Distillery is one of the distilleries owned by Suntory based in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture.
It is now considered a distillery that whiskey lovers around the world want to visit, but as of June 2023, it is not open for tours.
The tour facilities and the restaurant attached to the distillery are currently undergoing renovations, and are expected to reopen around the fall of 2023.
The Hakushu Distillery’s restaurant, White Terrace, seems to be a restaurant that serves vegetables originally from Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Koshu specialties, according to the website.
When the restaurant reopens, I would like to make a reservation and visit there.
Origin of the Hakushu Distillery
When the Yamazaki distillery, Suntory’s representative whiskey, celebrated its 50th anniversary, the Hakushu distillery was built as Suntory’s second distillery with a different concept from the Yamazaki distillery.
The official website also states that the first chief blender, Tameo Onishi, who was particular about the quality of the water used in the production of whiskey, investigated all over Japan and chose this location, and the current Hakushu distillery was born.
While the tasting notes for Yamazaki 12 Year Old states “Aroma: persimmon, peach, vanilla/finish: sweet vanilla, oaky, pleasantly long finish,” Hakushu 12 Year Old has a completely different characteristic: “Aroma: young leaves, green apple, jasmine/finish: sweet, soft, smoky, crisp. (Suntory, 2007, p. 3).
Perhaps Suntory had an idea to create something new using these two when they came up with the idea of building the Hakushu distillery. Perhaps Suntory had a plan to create something new using these two ingredients when they proposed the construction of the Hakushu Distillery.
It would be interesting to dig deeper if that idea leads to the later Hibiki.
Unprecedented attention to water quality in the whiskey world
It is generally well known that whisky is made using hard water with high mineral content as the brewing water in order to promote the germination and fermentation of barley.
However, Hakushu is made using natural soft water with moderate mineral content filtered through the granite of the Southern Alps.
Therefore, Hakushu is fermented for a longer period of time in wooden fermentation tanks than normal whiskey.
Whiskey is usually more dense as it matures, and the more raisin and black fruit flavors it has, the more robust it tastes.
How can I get a bottle of Hakushu 12 Year Old?
Hakushu 12 Year Old is currently one of the most difficult whiskies to obtain.
It is very difficult to find it in stores, and if you do find it, it is often sold at a premium price that is several times the regular price.
If you really want to get your hands on one at a fixed price, we recommend that you go to a lottery sale at a department store.
Lottery sales are often held before seasonal milestones, long vacations, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. If you time your visit well, you may have a chance to win.
Outside of lottery sales, I have the impression that they are sold in supermarkets, and you can often see them displayed at fixed prices on social networking sites.
In contrast, specialty liquor stores may be wholesaling to restaurants or stocking it for their regular customers, so you will be quite lucky if you can go to a liquor store and find it.
If you really want to get your hands on a bottle right away, the easiest way is to buy it on the Internet, although the price will be higher than the regular price. You can find them on Yahoo! Auction, Rakuten Market, and other websites.
List Price of Hakushu 12 Year Old
The list price of Hakushu 12year old is 10,000 yen (excluding tax) as far as we can confirm from Suntory’s official website. However, it is thought to be quite difficult to obtain at this price.
As of June 2023, the official Hakushu website says that Hakushu 12year will be re-released in limited quantities, but the content of the re-release is that Hakushu 12year will be re-released on March 30, 2021.
Since that update, there has been no news of a re-release on the official website, and there seems to be no prospect for a re-release.
However, although no official announcement has been made, the 100th anniversary labels of Yamazaki and Hakushu were released in April 2023. Each non-age and 12-year old will be available in two varieties, at the same price as the regular labels.
Either way, they remain difficult to find.
Hakushu 12 Year Old is closed or on sale.
Suntory’s premium whiskey lineup, Hakushu 12 Year Old, does not appear to have any specific re-sale announcements on its official website at this time.
In the past, distribution of the product was temporarily halted in June 2018 in the form of a suspension of sales, but there was an announcement of a limited quantity resale on March 30, 2021.
Due to the limited quantities, the distribution volume is low, and it has already been almost two years since the re-sale began, so it is definitely becoming more difficult to obtain the product.
Availability and Sales Information for Hakushu 12Year Old
The easiest way to obtain Hakushu 12-Year-Old is to buy it on the Internet. It is not that difficult to obtain it through auction sites and e-commerce sites.
However, many bottles are sold at a premium price, which is not the regular price, so this method is probably the most recommended for those who really want to get it, even if it is a little expensive.
If you want to get it at a fixed price, department stores, electronics retailers that sell alcoholic beverages, and supermarkets are recommended.
Some department stores do not carry such items, so it is important to do your homework in advance.
Kintetsu Department Store once offered a luxury gift bag including a bottle of Hakushu 12-year for about 1,000,000 yen by lottery at the end of the year.
Bic Camera is a well-known electronics retailer, and often holds lottery sales on a regular basis.
At supermarkets, they are often sold as is at a fixed price, and piles of them in the Suntory whiskey corner are often posted on SNS.
Personally, I think it is best to avoid looking for domestic whiskey such as Hakushu 12year old in stores specializing in alcoholic beverages.
This is because only sake lovers come to the store and they often stock products for their regular customers.
So if you use a particular liquor store that carries domestic whiskey, you may eventually receive such a guide from the store.
Hakushu 12-Year-Old’s Evaluation
Hakushu 12 Year Old is highly regarded worldwide, and has achieved brilliant results at the SWSC (San Francisco World Spirits Competition), a competition in which more than 3,000 types of spirits-based liquors from around the world are entered, including “2011 Best Gold Award,” “2012 Gold Award,” “2013 Best Gold Award,” “2014 Gold Award in 2013, Gold Award in 2014, and Gold Award in 2016.
In addition, we have won the “2012 Gold Award” at the ISC (International Spirits Challenge) and “2009 Gold Award Best in Class” and “2010 Gold Award Best in Class” at the IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition) consecutively. The company has also won the “2009 Best in Class Gold Award” and “2010 Best in Class Gold Award” at IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition).
Recommended ways to drink Hakushu 12 Year Old
The best way to drink Hakushu 12 Year Old is said to be a highball.
According to the tasting notes, “The aroma is green apple, young leaves, and jasmine, and the finish is sweet, soft smoky, and crisp,” so it is probably best to open the aroma with carbonation so that it can be drunk smoothly.
If you mean to pair it with a meal, we would probably recommend a herb breaded chicken or an anchovy-infused bagna cauda.
Highballs are good, but we also recommend enjoying it twiced up.
Whiskey blenders use a method of checking the flavor by dividing the original whiskey at cask strength, which has not been watered, in a one-to-one ratio using soft water at room temperature.
Therefore, if you add a little water to bring the alcohol content to around 30%, you may be able to taste the flavor that the blenders were experiencing.
Conclusion
Hakushu 12year old has now become difficult to obtain, and it seems to be quite difficult to get it at a fixed price. If you are willing to take time, you should visit department stores, supermarkets, and electronics retailers such as Bic Camera that deal in alcoholic beverages, and search diligently.
If you want to get it right away, you may choose to look for it on the Internet, as there are many websites that sell it.
However, many of them are sold at or above the regular price, so we do not recommend this if you do not want to spend a lot of money.
If you are not sure whether you want to drink Hakushu 12 years old unopened, you may want to consult with a liquor buyer.
With the money you save, you can take the opportunity to try a new whiskey, or you can go to a bar that carries it and get change for a bottle of Hakushu 12year-old.
In addition to Hakushu 12year, older liquors are often worth a lot of money, and the most expensive ones can be worth tens of millions of yen.
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