Yamazaki 18YO

The Yamazaki is the oldest single malt distillery in Japan, having been founded in 1923 by Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii.Located in the idyllic Vale of Yamazaki, between the cities of Osaka and Kyoto, the site was chosen by master distiller Masataka Taketsuru for the purity of the local water – and confirmed by the pragmatic Torii due to its proximity to two important markets. There is a direct train from Kyoto centre which takes around 30 minutes (the journey from Osaka is slightly longer), and the distillery offers tours with English and French audio guides to those tourists who master the mysteries of Japanese railway stations.