The Japanese single malt whisky distillery established in 1923 is Yamazaki. Located in Shimamoto, Osaka Prefecture, it was founded by Shinjiro Torii and became Japan’s first commercial whisky distillery.
Torii, the founder of the company that later became Suntory, wanted to create a Japanese whisky with serious quality and character. He chose Yamazaki for its water sources and surrounding environment, then recruited Masataka Taketsuru, who had studied whisky production in Scotland, to help develop the distillery. Construction began in 1923, and production followed in the following years.
Yamazaki is often confused with Hakushu, another Suntory malt distillery, or with Nikka, a separate whisky company. Hibiki is not a distillery at all; it is a blended whisky brand made by Suntory. Yamazaki’s whiskies are known for complex fruit, spice, and oak notes, with maturation in Japanese mizunara oak contributing distinctive flavors to some releases.
The distillery remains one of Japan’s most internationally recognized whisky producers.