Blended Special Reserve - Suntory Building Shaped Bottle
⏳ Drinking Window
As a distilled spirit, this bottling does not improve with bottle age and is stable indefinitely if kept sealed. Once opened, it is best consumed within 1 to 2 years.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled yakitori with tare sauce, premium dark chocolate, or smoked charcuterie.
✨ Technical Specifications
While categorized under 'Other' due to its spirit classification, this legendary release from Suntory is an iconic piece of Japanese distilling history. First introduced in 1969 to celebrate Suntory's 70th anniversary, the Special Reserve is a premium blended Japanese whisky. This highly collectible bottling is presented in a commemorative decanter sculpted to replicate the architectural design of the Suntory headquarters building. The blend itself is celebrated for its elegant complexity, incorporating key malt whiskies from the Hakushu and Yamazaki distilleries aged in American white oak. It represents the visionary spirit of Suntory's founder, Shinjiro Torii, who sought to harmonize Western distilling traditions with the delicate Japanese palate.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1923 by Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii with technical assistance from Masataka Taketsuru, Yamazaki is the pioneer and foundational benchmark of Japanese whisky. Situated southwest of Kyoto at the foot of Mount Tennozan, the distillery occupies a tranquil river valley where the Katsura, Uji, and Kizu rivers converge. This geographic setting engenders an enduring misty microclimate, significant seasonal temperature variations, and access to exceptionally pure, soft subterranean spring water historically lauded by tea master Sen no Rikyu. Uniquely engineered to function as a self-contained ecosystem of distinct styles, Yamazaki employs diverse fermenters alongside pot stills of varied shapes, sizes, and condensation configurations. Its maturation program is celebrated for its virtuosic wood management under Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo, incorporating American oak ex-bourbon barrels, Spanish oak sherry butts, and rare indigenous Mizunara Japanese oak. The resulting single malts, led by the flagship 12, 18, and 25 Year Old expressions, are distinguished by sandalwood spice, dried fruit complexity, and aristocratic balance.