By MASAKI HASHIDA/ Staff Writer
November 30, 2025 at 07:00 JST
Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky 18 Years Old is served in Tokyo’s Ginza district on Oct. 21. (Masaki Hashida)
Suntory Holdings Ltd. is holding an event in Tokyo until Dec. 30 to commemorate its top place finish at one of the most prestigious whisky competitions in the world.
Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky 18 Years Old was named Supreme Champion Spirit at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2025 held in London in September. It defeated thousands of entries from around the world.
According to Suntory, Yamazaki 25 Years Old won the same award in 2023, followed by Yamazaki 12 Years Old’s victory in 2024.
This marks the first time in ISC’s history for the same brand to win the top prize for three consecutive years.
Suntory is celebrating the award at Hibiya Bar Whisky-S in the Ginza district of Tokyo, where visitors can enjoy tasting Yamazaki whiskies and three unblended malts for Yamazaki 12 Years Old.
A shot of Yamazaki 12 Years Old costs 3,500 yen ($22.41), including tax, while a shot of Yamazaki 18 Years Old is priced at 7,600 yen.
Yamazaki, born in 1984, is a flagship Japanese whisky known for its well-balanced flavor that is achieved by blending malt whiskies mashed with renowned water and matured in wooden casks.
The suggested retail price for a 700-milliliter bottle of Yamazaki 18 Years Old is ¥55,000, excluding tax.
Reservations are required for 90-minute sessions.
Apply via the bar’s website (https://booking.ebica.jp/webrsv/plan_search/e014037901/23826).
Suntory marks 100 years of distilling whisky with upgrades
February 23, 2023
Suntory to double prices for premium whiskies in April
November 22, 2023
After 100 years, Japan whiskies reach the top but face new hurdles
October 29, 2023
Japanese whisky turns 100 as craft distilleries transform industry
November 21, 2023
Kirin targets overseas markets for its Fuji whisky brand
March 28, 2023
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
