Hakushu is Suntory's mountain single malt, made in the forests of Japan's Southern Alps at the foot of Mt Kaikomagatake.
Established in 1973 as Suntory's second malt whisky distillery, Hakushu was deliberately created somewhere very different from Yamazaki. Its high-altitude forest setting, cool climate and exceptionally soft mountain water contribute to a house style defined by freshness, herbal character, bright fruit and a distinctive thread of smoke.
Our collection moves from Hakushu Distiller's Reserve and 12 Year Old through to the increasingly rare 18 and 25 Year Old, alongside anniversary bottlings, limited editions and releases exploring the story and character of the distillery itself.
Suntory's Mountain Forest Distillery
Hakushu Distillery was founded in 1973, half a century after Suntory established Yamazaki.
Keizo Saji, Suntory's second Master Blender, sought a different environment for the company's second malt distillery, eventually choosing Hakushu in Yamanashi Prefecture for its water and forest setting.
Sitting at an elevation of more than 700 metres in the Japanese Southern Alps, the distillery experiences a cool, humid climate and four distinct seasons. Suntory refers to Hakushu as its Mountain Forest Distillery, a description that captures how closely the whisky's identity is connected to its surroundings.
Water, Forest & the Hakushu Style
Water is fundamental to Hakushu.
Rain and snow from the surrounding mountains travel through the granite landscape of the Southern Alps before reaching the aquifer beneath the distillery. The resulting water is particularly soft and forms the foundation of Hakushu's fresh, light spirit.
Within the distillery, wooden washbacks, differently sized pot stills and varied approaches to maturation allow Suntory's whisky makers to create a broad palette of malt whiskies for blending.
The resulting Hakushu style is remarkably distinctive: green, fresh and gently smoky, with herbal and citrus characters often sitting alongside fruit, malt and restrained peat.
Hakushu Distiller's Reserve & 12 Year Old
Hakushu Distiller's Reserve provides a natural introduction to the house style.
Fresh citrus, green and herbal notes meet subtle smoke, capturing the lighter and more vibrant side of Hakushu without an age statement.
Hakushu 12 Year Old takes that character further. Lightly peated and matured for a minimum of 12 years, it retains the freshness associated with the distillery while bringing greater depth and integration.
Our collection includes the classic 700ml release alongside selected miniature and commemorative editions.
Hakushu 18 & 25 Year Old
Extended maturation brings a different dimension to Hakushu without losing the freshness at the centre of the house style.
Hakushu 18 Year Old develops the whisky's fruit, fragrant wood and smoke into a deeper, more layered expression, while Hakushu 25 Year Old sits among the distillery's most mature and sought-after age statements.
These older whiskies form the collectable end of the Hakushu range and offer a markedly different perspective from the brightness of Distiller's Reserve and 12 Year Old.
Anniversary & Limited Hakushu
Beyond the core range, Hakushu has produced a number of limited bottlings exploring the history, environment and whisky-making approach of the distillery.
Our collection includes 100th Anniversary editions of Hakushu 12 and 18 Year Old, released around Suntory's centenary of whisky making, alongside other limited 18 Year Old bottlings.
Hakushu Story of the Distillery 2024 places the character and history of Hakushu itself at the centre of the release, while Japanese Forest Bittersweet Edition explores another interpretation of the distillery's distinctive forest-led identity.
Together with older age statements, these releases form the rarer and more collectable side of Hakushu.
Fifty Years of Hakushu
Hakushu reached its 50th anniversary in 2023, the same year Suntory celebrated a century since the beginning of its whisky-making story at Yamazaki.
Yet Hakushu was never intended simply to reproduce the style of Suntory's first distillery.
Its different climate, water, elevation and production environment gave Suntory another palette of malt whisky to work with and established Hakushu as a single malt with an identity entirely its own.
That contrast remains fundamental to understanding the distillery today: Yamazaki and Hakushu share a whisky-making lineage, but express two very different Japanese landscapes.
Shop Hakushu Whisky at Kent Street Cellars
Explore Hakushu Single Malt Japanese Whisky, from Distiller's Reserve and Hakushu 12 Year Old through to the 18 and 25 Year Old, anniversary editions and limited releases.
Our collection includes current expressions alongside rare and collectable Hakushu, subject to availability.
Delivery is available Australia-wide, with same-day delivery also available across eligible Sydney metropolitan areas.
