Suntory are one of the giants of world whisky owning several of Japan’s nine active distilleries as well as Bowmore, Laphroig & Auchentoshan in Scotland and Kilbeggan and Cooley in Ireland. A truly global expression Suntory World Whisky AO is a whisky release which features whiskies from five different countries: Scotland, Ireland, the US, Canada, and Japan. The name “Ao” is translated to “blue” and refers to the color of the ocean. A vivid, elegant, yet deep profile, with a sweetness that gently pervades with a pleasantly sharp finish. A triumph of blending a selection of diverse, high quality whiskies into a seamless, thoughtful finished product.

Note - item is not guaranteed to come in a gift box. From the Hakushu distillery in the foothills of Mount Kaikomagatake comes their Distiller's Reserve single malt whisky. This drop displays the herbaceous and smoky characteristics known to their whiskies. The The Hakushu Single Malt Japanese Whisky - Distiller’s Reserve was produced with both heavily-peated and lightly-peated malts for a deep and complex whisky. On the nose there are hits of grassy notes, pine, and peppermint. It is rounded out with cucumber and melon. The palate has pops of citrus zest and mint. The whisky finishes long and smoky.

Ichiro Akuto's most voluminous and accessible Whisky is, as it says on the label, a blend of Malt and Grain Whiskies. While the exact source of the material is not published, it's known it's a blend of Japanese distilled material vatted with Whiskies sourced from around the world. In addition to whisky from his own stocks--including, potentially, Hanyu and Karuizawa, as well as his own Chichibu--the blend contains spirits from Canada, the United States, Ireland and Scotland. The imported Whiskeys are 3-5-years-old, aged in their country of origin before being carefully blended with local Japanese material and matured a further 1-3 years at Chichibu. The Whisky is vatted in 2 x 5,000-litre wooden barrels built by French cooper Taransaud. Non-chill filtered, non-coloured, Chichibu Ichiro's Malt & Grain World Blended Whisky is a pure example of Akuto's whisky making expertise.