Review of YAMAZAKURA Blended Malt Japanese Asaka Mizunara Wood Reserve from Sasanokawa Shuzo.Features, price, and how to purchase.
1. product name and photo
YAMAZAKURA Blended Malt Japanese Asaka Mizunara Wood Reserve
Yamazakura Blended Malt Japanese Whisky ASAKA Doppelbock Cask Finish
２．Blended Malt Japanese Whisky ASAKA Mizunara Wood Reserve Characteristics
The company was founded in 1765. We obtained a license to produce whisky in 1946, and we continue to produce whisky as the oldest existing whisky manufacturer in the Tohoku region.
The distillery has continued to produce whisky steadily since it resumed distilling as “Asaka Distillery”, and the original whisky that won the highest award in the world at the World Whisky Awards has been made into “BLENDED MALT JAPANESE WHISKY MIZUNARA WOOD RESERVE”. We hope you will enjoy the unique characteristics given to the original sake by storing it in Mizunara oak barrels.
Reference: Back side of the bottle label
2-1．Tasting Notes
| Aroma | Iyokan orange, mango, dried grape, Mizunara oak-derived spiciness |
| Taste | Tangerine-like sweetness and acidity, dried plum, maltose, coconut milk |
| Aftertaste | Creamy and spicy aftertaste lingers long after the acidity is gone. |
2-2. Product Specifications
| Alcohol content | 62% alcohol by volume |
| By Sake | Single Malt Japanese whisky |
| Cask type | Mizunara oak |
| Content volume | 700ml |
| Number of bottles sold | Unknown |
| Suggested retail price | 27,500 yen (tax included) |
| Release date | December 2024 |
3. Awards
World whisky awards (WWA) 2025 Best Japanese Blended Malt
4. Price
4-1. Suggested retail price
| Product name | Blended Malt Japanese Whisky Asaka Mizunara Wood Reserve |
| Capacity | 700ml |
| Suggested Retail Price | Including tax: 27,500 yen |
4-2. Resale price on Mercari
Theresale price on Mercariwas 43,000 yen. (*As of 4/8/2025)
4-3. Sold price on Yahoo! Auction
There were no confirmed listings on Yahoo! A uctions. (*As of 4/8/2025)
4-4. Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping, Amazon
No sales could be confirmed on mail-order sites. (*As of 4/8/2025)
4-5. Price offered at BAR Shinkai
At “BAR Shinkai” operated by this site, it is offered in small quantities such as 1 glass, 45ml: 8,250 yen 30ml: 5,500 yen, 15ml: 2,750 yen, etc.
5. Who is the Sasanokawa Shuzo?
Sasanokawa Shuzo Co.
With over 250 years of history as a sake Shuzo, the Sasanokawa Shuzo obtained a license to produce whisky in 1946, continued to release products such as the YAMAZAKURA series, and in 2016 established the Asaka Distillery as a project to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding.
The Asaka Distillery has been gaining recognition both domestically and internationally year after year, including winning the world’s highest award in the Blended Malt Whisky category for its Yamazakura Blended Malt Japanese Whisky Asaka Sherry Wood Reserve at the World Whisky Awards (WWA) 2022.
The distillery has also achieved the feat of winning GOLD or higher for all of its whiskies in the 2025 WWA.
| Establishment | 1765 (Meiwa 2) |
| Head Office | 1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima 963-0108 |
| Owned Distilleries | Asaka Distillery |
6.Asaka distillery
| Address | 1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima |
| Start of operation | 1946 (old facility), resumed distillation in April 2016 (new facility) |
Started operation in 1765
1920 Yamaguchi Shuzo Co.
1932 Yamazakura Shuzo Limited Partnership established
1946 whisky production license obtained.
1966 Sasanokawa Shuzo Co.
1983 Completed construction of whisky malt storage facility
1998 Yamazakura Shuzo and Sasanokawa Shuzo merge, with Sasanokawa Shuzo Co.
2004 (Heisei 16) Receives stored whisky from Toa Shuzo.
2005 (Heisei 17) Ichiro’s Malt is released, planned by Venture whisky. (The manufacturer column on the back label of the bottle is Sasanokawa Shuzo)
2016 (Heisei 26) Asaka distillery starts full-scale operations.
Yamazakura Shuzo, founded in 1710 south of Lake Inawashiro, moved to Koriyama in 1765.
This Yamazakura Shuzo was the first to obtain a license to brew whisky in 1946, when the demand for whisky increased as a national policy during the postwar U.S. military occupation.
The shortage of rice during and after the war made it extremely difficult to brew sake, and the influx of Western culture after the war was also a factor in the company’s efforts to make whisky.
In the 1950s and 1960s, during the period of rapid economic growth, Sasanokawa’s ” Cherry whisky ” gained popularity along with Toa Shuzo and Hombo Shuzo, and was called “Cherry of the North, Toa of the East, Mars of the West”.
However, with the slow growth and changing tastes, Toa was forced to withdraw from the business in 2003, and Sasanokawa took care of the barrels of the original whisky at the distillery in Hanyu.
This was a big help for the release of Ichiro’s Malt, which later became popular worldwide.
Since the end of the war, the distillery has continued to produce whisky in small quantities, and currently uses two types: a Scotch type and a malt type imported from Kentucky.
The Asaka distillery is located in the Sasanokawa Shuzo, a sake Shuzo that has been in operation since the Edo period.
The pot stills look good against the traditional white plaster walls.
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(Image credit: Asaka Distillery’s official Facebook page )
For more information about Asaka Distillery, please visit
7. Summary
This is the second blended malt from Asaka. In the first series, Sherry Wood Reserve won World’s Best and was a high-profile series, but this one also won Best Japanese.
It is a very difficult whisky to obtain because it is only sold at whisky festivals and other events by lottery, which are quite limited.
The unique flavor of Asaka’s original whisky can be felt more strongly in this Mizunara Wood Reserve, and it is as wonderful as the previous edition.
The other original whisky used is believed to be from the same distillery as the previous one. The connection between Asaka Distillery and that distillery has become a well-known story.
Although both distilleries are still evolving, they cooperated with each other at the beginning of the business and became the driving force of the current whisky boom.
I hope that both distilleries will continue to make great whisky while enjoying their whisky with this background.
Please check out other articles about “Asaka Distillery”.
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
