Raw materials
barley malt
cereals (grain whisky components)
Brand
Yamazakura
Explore the spirits, production style and story of Yamazakura.
Yamazakura is a Japanese whisky brand produced and marketed by Sasanokawa Shuzo through the Asaka Distillery (Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture). The range includes blended, blended malt, single malt and single cask expressions, matured in various types of casks.
Japanese whisky
blended whisky
blended malt
Japanese single malt
single cask
Producer range
Producer range Yamazakura
Spirit categories
Japanese whisky
blended whisky
blended malt
Japanese single malt
single cask
Representative products
Yamazakura Blended Whisky 40% Cl.70 - Giftbox
Yamazakura Blended Malt Japanese Whisky - Sherry Wood Reserve (Asaka)
Yamazakura Japanese Single Malt Whisky Asaka 2022 Edition
Yamazakura Single Cask Whisky Asaka (limited editions)
Casks and ageing vessels
ex-bourbon
sherry (oloroso / sherry wood)
mizunara
virgin oak / new oak
Napa Valley (Cabernet Sauvignon) wine cask
finishes in unconventional casks (e.g. IPA cask finish)
Distillation and production
Distillation and production
Production method
Yamazakura whiskies are produced and bottled in Japan at Sasanokawa Shuzo's Asaka Distillery. Distillation uses traditional pot stills and the range includes blends, blended malts, single malts and single cask releases; bottles show maturations and finishes in a variety of cask types.
Distillation
Pot stills — Asaka plant with wash still and spirit still
Ageing
Maturation in wooden casks; various wood types are used, with a focus on ex-bourbon and sherry casks, plus finishes in distinctive woods.
Producer history Yamazakura
Yamazakura is the commercial name used by Sasanokawa Shuzo for its whisky lines. Sasanokawa Shuzo, a long-established company known for sake and other spirits production, restarted industrial-scale whisky production with the opening of the Asaka Distillery (operational from 2016). Under the Yamazakura brand, blended releases and bottles of single malt and single cask have been issued, gaining international visibility from the early 2020s.
Production philosophy
The Yamazakura range merges Sasanokawa Shuzo's century-long expertise in fermentation and traditional Japanese production with a modern approach to whisky: targeted use of stills, attention to local climate and maturation conditions, and experimentation with different wood types to achieve distinctive aromatic profiles.
Territory
Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Tōhoku region, Japan
Awards and recognitions
World's Best Blended Malt – World Whiskies Awards 2022 (Yamazakura Blended Malt Asaka); recognitions and medals in international competitions for some bottlings (e.g. Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition).
Yamazakura
This producer is a useful reference point for enthusiasts looking for authentic spirits, distinctive production identity and a carefully selected online catalogue.
On this page you can discover the producer, understand its main categories and browse the products currently available for purchase.
Products from
Italy
Europe
USA, UK, Switzerland