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Suntory Liquors Limited is pleased to announce that single malt whiskies Yamazaki 12 Years and Yamazaki 18 Years both won the highest award in their category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The competition is international in scope and was founded by an editor of the culinary magazine Bon Appétit. A diverse panel of judges (representatives of top U.S. hotels or restaurants, buyers for liquor distributors, and noted journalists) subject entries to a rigorous judging process based on blind tasting. Each year, the results are closely watched by the worldwide spirits industry.
The ninth annual competition this year attracted some 876 entries from 63 countries around the world, in categories including brown and white spirits, liqueurs, and other varieties.
Whisky from many countries was entered and judged to award Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. Suntory was distinguished with a double honor, because both Yamazaki 12 Years and Yamazaki 18 Years won Double Gold medals, equivalent to the best in their category. For Yamazaki 18 Years, the award also marks the second Double Gold in two consecutive years.
Yamazaki whiskies have enjoyed greater international acclaim in recent years, and sales are growing tremendously. The sales volume in 2008 surpassed the 2007 level by 80%. The two Double Gold medals this year attest to the high standards in malt whisky at Yamazaki Distillery, as well as unmatched Suntory expertise in drawing on a broad range of whiskies for blending. It is an achievement that encourages Suntory to introduce Yamazaki to a wider audience overseas.
Malt whisky from Yamazaki Distillery used in this offering is carefully vatted mainly from whiskies aged at least 18 years in sherry casks. The result of this patient aging is a full-bodied single malt whisky, distinguished by sweet dried fruit and chocolate on the nose, from the sherry casks. Its maturity, complexity, and depth on the palate is a reminder that this whisky is nearly two decades old.
This elegant single malt whisky is a favorite in Japan. Yamazaki Distillery's white oak casks impart notes of sweet vanilla and ripe fruit, which mingle with subtle accents from the sherry casks and others of Japanese oak. Layer after layer emerges on the palate, making this a whisky that never ceases to satisfy.
| Competition | San Francisco World Spirits Competition |
|---|---|
| Venue | San Francisco, U.S.A |
