Suntory Ao Japanese Whisky

Suntory Ao emerges from the need of transparency. It is no secret in the whisky world that Japanese regulations are a little lax about the percentage of foreign whisky blended into ‘Japanese’ whisky bottles.

The deception is understandable. The demand of Japanese whisky has increased to an insurmountable level. Breweries have a depleting supply of purely Japanese single malt aged statements. The need to blend is obvious and necessary. However, the blended percentage must be clear to the consumer, if the brand wishes to remain honest.

The Idea

Suntory have creatively crafted this blending innovation into its own selling point. Suntory Ao is a blend of each of the world’s most prestigious whisky producing countries, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, America and Japan.
(The Beam manufacturer has breweries in each of these countries, which gives us a clue as to where each blend is sourced form!)

The name ‘Ao’ is the Japanese word for blue (青い). This is said to represent the seas crossing over our shared blue planet.

It’s a romantic notion. Instead of a cheapened idea of diluting ‘pure’ Japanese whisky, Suntory have sold the image of diversity. Whisky lovers and producers across the world working together to produced something beautiful. This message is proclaimed loud and clear in their ‘Avengers Assemble’ style promotional video:

Suntory Ao Promotional Video

The Bottle

The stunning prism shaped bottle will take pride on any liquor shelf. The aptly ‘Samurai blue’ coloured label is confident. The packaging even includes a beautifully designed booklet with history, tasting notes and recommendations. However, my booklet is only written in Japanese. I better start studying kanji harder!

Suntory Ao – Tasting notes

Notes – Sweet, creamy and fruity. Think banoffee pie.

Palate – Medium body with a little hint of smoke that is not usually found in Japanese single malts. A slight hot pepper and ginger taste.

Finish – Creamy vanilla finish, like Chantilly cream. Delectable.

Verdict:

It would be easy to dismiss this whisky as a thinly veiled marketing ploy. But as a scot living in Japan, I’m sold. There is something so moving about the creation of Japanese whisky. They are humble in acknowledging the true whisky origins in Scotland, but maintain their own signature style.

Want to expand your knowledge about Japanese whisky? Discover more through Kanpai Drinks Japanese sake and whisky blogs.