THE HOUSE OF SUNTORY — BRAND
The House of Suntory is the founding name of Japanese whisky. Shinjiro Torii built Japan's first malt whisky distillery at Yamazaki in 1923, his successors added the forested Hakushu distillery in 1973, and the house's craft has passed through three generations of master blenders. This page covers the three Suntory whiskies in the vault — the Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts and the Hibiki blend — each linked to its own page.
- 1899 — Shinjiro Torii founds the company that becomes Suntory, in Osaka.
- 1923 — Torii builds the Yamazaki Distillery, Japan's first malt whisky distillery, near Kyoto.
- 1973 — second-generation blender Keizo Saji opens the Hakushu Distillery in the forest of the Southern Japanese Alps.
- 1984 — the Yamazaki single malt is introduced.
- 1989 — Hibiki, Suntory's blended whisky, launches for the company's 90th anniversary; its name means "harmony."
- 1994 — the Hakushu single malt completes the malt range.
- 2002 — Shingo Torii, the founder's grandson, becomes the house's third-generation master blender.
- 2023 — Yamazaki and Suntory mark their 100th anniversary.
The Founder's Vision
Shinjiro Torii set out to make a whisky for the Japanese palate rather than a copy of Scotch. In 1923 he built the Yamazaki Distillery at the foot of Mt. Tenno near Kyoto, where three rivers meet and a misty climate and soft water suit slow maturation — a site so prized that a 16th-century tea master had built his teahouse there. Torii's first whisky struggled, but he kept refining, and Yamazaki became the foundation of an entire national category.
The Art of Blending
Suntory's craft has stayed in one lineage: founder Shinjiro Torii, his son Keizo Saji, and grandson Shingo Torii, with chief blender Shinji Fukuyo carrying the work forward. They draw on three distilleries — the malt distilleries Yamazaki and Hakushu and the Chita grain distillery — and a wide range of cask types, including the Japanese Mizunara oak that gives Suntory whisky its signature sandalwood and incense notes. That blending tradition is what Hibiki was created to showcase.
The Whiskies
The three Suntory whiskies you'll find here. We link each expression as it reaches the vault:
| Yamazaki — Single Malt (est. 1923) | |
| Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve | Single malt · no age statement |
| Yamazaki 12 Year | Single malt · 12-year |
| Yamazaki 18 Year | Single malt · 18-year |
| Yamazaki 25 Year | Single malt · 25-year |
| Hakushu — Single Malt (est. 1973) | |
| Hakushu Distiller's Reserve | Single malt · no age statement · gently smoky |
| Hakushu 12 Year | Single malt · 12-year |
| Hakushu 18 Year | Single malt · 18-year |
| Hibiki — Blended (since 1989) | |
| Hibiki Japanese Harmony | Blended · no age statement |
| Hibiki Blossom Harmony | Blended · seasonal release |
| Hibiki 21 Year | Blended · 21-year |
| Hibiki 30 Year | Blended · 30-year |
We link each Suntory bottle as it reaches the vault. Browse the wider Japanese whisky collection.
Collector Note
Japanese whisky has become some of the most sought-after in the world, and Suntory sits at the center of it. Age-stated Yamazaki and Hakushu (12, 18, 25) and the older Hibiki blends (21, 30) are allocated and trade well above release, while even the no-age-statement bottlings can be hard to find. Condition, the specific edition and an intact presentation box all matter.
Production Methodology
Suntory whisky is made at three distilleries: Yamazaki (malt, since 1923) near Kyoto, Hakushu (malt, since 1973) in the Southern Japanese Alps, and Chita (grain, since 1972) on the Chita Peninsula. The malt distilleries run a wide variety of stills and ferments to produce many different component whiskies, matured in American, Spanish sherry and Japanese Mizunara oak. The single malts — Yamazaki and Hakushu — are each drawn from one distillery; Hibiki is blended across all three. Age statements, ABV and cask makeup vary by expression and are confirmed on each product page.
Authentication & Vault Preservation
Every Suntory bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authorized, authentic retailer, vault-stored and insured, shipped with protective handling and age-verified 21-and-over signature on delivery, and authenticated by our concierge before it ships. For the details, see how each bottle's authenticity is confirmed, vault storage and concierge service, and our sourcing standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the House of Suntory?
The House of Suntory is the whisky house founded by Shinjiro Torii, who built Japan's first malt whisky distillery at Yamazaki in 1923 (the company itself dates to 1899). It is the founding name of Japanese whisky, and its craft has passed through three generations of master blenders — Torii, his son Keizo Saji, and grandson Shingo Torii. Its whiskies come from the Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries.
What's the difference between Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki?
Yamazaki is Suntory's flagship single malt, from Japan's oldest malt distillery, with components aged in American, Spanish and Japanese Mizunara oak. Hakushu is the single malt from Suntory's forested mountain distillery, gently smoky and herbal. Hibiki is Suntory's blended whisky, introduced in 1989, marrying malt from Yamazaki and Hakushu with grain whisky from Chita.
The House of Suntory is the founding name of Japanese whisky. Shinjiro Torii built Japan's first malt whisky distillery at Yamazaki in 1923, his successors added the forested Hakushu distillery in 1973, and the house's craft has passed through three generations of master blenders. This page covers the three Suntory whiskies in the vault — the Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts and the Hibiki blend — each linked to its own page.
- 1899 — Shinjiro Torii founds the company that becomes Suntory, in Osaka.
- 1923 — Torii builds the Yamazaki Distillery, Japan's first malt whisky distillery, near Kyoto.
- 1973 — second-generation blender Keizo Saji opens the Hakushu Distillery in the forest of the Southern Japanese Alps.
- 1984 — the Yamazaki single malt is introduced.
- 1989 — Hibiki, Suntory's blended whisky, launches for the company's 90th anniversary; its name means "harmony."
- 1994 — the Hakushu single malt completes the malt range.
- 2002 — Shingo Torii, the founder's grandson, becomes the house's third-generation master blender.
- 2023 — Yamazaki and Suntory mark their 100th anniversary.
The Founder's Vision
Shinjiro Torii set out to make a whisky for the Japanese palate rather than a copy of Scotch. In 1923 he built the Yamazaki Distillery at the foot of Mt. Tenno near Kyoto, where three rivers meet and a misty climate and soft water suit slow maturation — a site so prized that a 16th-century tea master had built his teahouse there. Torii's first whisky struggled, but he kept refining, and Yamazaki became the foundation of an entire national category.
The Art of Blending
Suntory's craft has stayed in one lineage: founder Shinjiro Torii, his son Keizo Saji, and grandson Shingo Torii, with chief blender Shinji Fukuyo carrying the work forward. They draw on three distilleries — the malt distilleries Yamazaki and Hakushu and the Chita grain distillery — and a wide range of cask types, including the Japanese Mizunara oak that gives Suntory whisky its signature sandalwood and incense notes. That blending tradition is what Hibiki was created to showcase.
The Whiskies
The three Suntory whiskies you'll find here. We link each expression as it reaches the vault:
| Yamazaki — Single Malt (est. 1923) | |
| Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve | Single malt · no age statement |
| Yamazaki 12 Year | Single malt · 12-year |
| Yamazaki 18 Year | Single malt · 18-year |
| Yamazaki 25 Year | Single malt · 25-year |
| Hakushu — Single Malt (est. 1973) | |
| Hakushu Distiller's Reserve | Single malt · no age statement · gently smoky |
| Hakushu 12 Year | Single malt · 12-year |
| Hakushu 18 Year | Single malt · 18-year |
| Hibiki — Blended (since 1989) | |
| Hibiki Japanese Harmony | Blended · no age statement |
| Hibiki Blossom Harmony | Blended · seasonal release |
| Hibiki 21 Year | Blended · 21-year |
| Hibiki 30 Year | Blended · 30-year |
We link each Suntory bottle as it reaches the vault. Browse the wider Japanese whisky collection.
Collector Note
Japanese whisky has become some of the most sought-after in the world, and Suntory sits at the center of it. Age-stated Yamazaki and Hakushu (12, 18, 25) and the older Hibiki blends (21, 30) are allocated and trade well above release, while even the no-age-statement bottlings can be hard to find. Condition, the specific edition and an intact presentation box all matter.
Production Methodology
Suntory whisky is made at three distilleries: Yamazaki (malt, since 1923) near Kyoto, Hakushu (malt, since 1973) in the Southern Japanese Alps, and Chita (grain, since 1972) on the Chita Peninsula. The malt distilleries run a wide variety of stills and ferments to produce many different component whiskies, matured in American, Spanish sherry and Japanese Mizunara oak. The single malts — Yamazaki and Hakushu — are each drawn from one distillery; Hibiki is blended across all three. Age statements, ABV and cask makeup vary by expression and are confirmed on each product page.
Authentication & Vault Preservation
Every Suntory bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authorized, authentic retailer, vault-stored and insured, shipped with protective handling and age-verified 21-and-over signature on delivery, and authenticated by our concierge before it ships. For the details, see how each bottle's authenticity is confirmed, vault storage and concierge service, and our sourcing standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the House of Suntory?
The House of Suntory is the whisky house founded by Shinjiro Torii, who built Japan's first malt whisky distillery at Yamazaki in 1923 (the company itself dates to 1899). It is the founding name of Japanese whisky, and its craft has passed through three generations of master blenders — Torii, his son Keizo Saji, and grandson Shingo Torii. Its whiskies come from the Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries.
What's the difference between Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki?
Yamazaki is Suntory's flagship single malt, from Japan's oldest malt distillery, with components aged in American, Spanish and Japanese Mizunara oak. Hakushu is the single malt from Suntory's forested mountain distillery, gently smoky and herbal. Hibiki is Suntory's blended whisky, introduced in 1989, marrying malt from Yamazaki and Hakushu with grain whisky from Chita.