Review of YAMAZAKURA Single Malt Japanese Whisky Asaka 2025 EDITION from Sasanokawa Shuzo.Features, price, and how to purchase.
１．Product name and photo
YAMAZAKURA Single Malt Japanese Whisky Asaka 2025EDITION
Yamazakura Single Malt Japanese Whisky ASAKA 2025Edition
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２．feature
This product is a carefully selected blend of several types of barrel-aged malt liquors from the malt liquors produced by the Asaka Distillery.It has a fresh, gorgeous aroma and a clean sweetness that is typical of the Asaka distillery.
Excerpt from the back of the label
2-1．Tasting Notes
| fragrance | Dried apricots, maple syrup, boiled corn |
| flavor | Lemon in syrup, ginger sugar, raisins, white peaches |
| aftertaste | Citrus acidity and sweetness unique to Asaka remain softly present. |
2-2．Product Specs
| alcohol content (usu. expressed per cent) | 50% |
| distinction by alcohol | Single Malt Japanese Whisky |
| cask-type | not open to the public |
| content volume | 700ml |
| Number of units sold | limit on quantity |
| MSRP | 13,200 yen (tax included) |
| Release Date | May 2025 |
３．Awards
No awards have been received at this time.
４．Price
4-1．manufacturer’s suggested retail price
| trade (brand) name | YAMAZAKURA Single Malt Japanese Whisky Asaka 2025 EDITION |
| content volume | 700ml |
| MSRP | 13,200 yen (tax included) |
4-2．Resale prices on Mercari
Resale prices on Mercari is The exhibit was listed at around 10,000 yen.(*As of 5/21/2025)
4-3．Yahoo Auction Sold Price
Sold price on Yahoo Auctions is Could not confirm. (*Statistics for the past 180 days from 5/21/2025)
4-4．Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping, Amazon
The fixed price was identified for sale on the mail order website. (*as of 5/21/2024)
4-5．Prices offered at BAR Shinkai
One glass, 45 ml: for 4,290 yen at BAR Shinkai, where this site is operated,
We also offer it in small quantities such as 30 ml: 2,860 yen, 15 ml: 1,430 yen.
５．What is the Sasanokawa Shuzo?
Sasanokawa Shuzo Co.
Sasanokawa Shuzo, with a history of over 250 years as a 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.
Asaka Distillery was awarded at the World Whisky Awards (WWA) 2022「Yamazakura Blended Malt Japanese Whisky Asaka Sherry Wood Reserve」has won the world’s highest award in the blended malt whisky category, and the distillery’s reputation is growing both domestically and internationally every year.
| Establishment | 1765 |
| Location of the Agency | 1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-City, Fukushima 963-0108 |
| Possess distillery | Asaka Distillery |
６．Asaka Distillery
| location | 1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-City, Fukushima |
| Commencement of operations | 1946 (old facility), distillation resumed in April 2016 (new facility) |
1765 Commencement of operations
1920 Yamaguchi Shuzo Co.
1932 Yamazakura Shuzo Limited Partnership established
1946 Whisky production license obtained.
1966 Sasanokawa Shuzo Co.
1983 Whisky malt storage completed.
1998 Yamazakura Shuzo and Sasanokawa Shuzo merge, with Sasanokawa Shuzo Co.
2004 Receives stored whisky from Toa Shuzo.
2005 Ichiro’s Malt, planned by Venture Whisky, was released. (The manufacturer’s name on the label on the back of the bottle is Sasanokawa Shuzo)
2016 the Asaka distillery started full-scale operations.
1710 Yamazakura Shuzo, founded south of Inawashiro Lake, moved to Koriyama in 1765.
It was in 1946 that the Yamazakura Shuzo obtained a license to brew whisky, which was in increasing demand 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 efforts to make whisky.
During the period of high economic growth in the 1950s and 1960s, “Cherry Whisky of the North, Toa of the East, and Mars of the West,” along with Toa Shuzo and Hombo Shuzo, Sasanokawa Shuzo’s “Cherry Whisky” also gained popularity.
However, with the low growth and changing tastes, Toa was forced to withdraw from the business in 2003, and Sasanokawa took care of the barrels of undiluted sake at the distillery in Hanyu.
This greatly helped to launch Ichiro’s Malt, which later became popular worldwide.
Since the postwar period, the company has continued to produce whiskey in small quantities, and currently uses two types: Scotch and malt imported from Kentucky.
The Asaka distillery is located in the Sasanokawa Shuzo, a Shuzo that has been in operation since the Edo period, and began operations at the end of October 2016 with production facilities and the cooperation of Chichibu distiller Ichiro Akuto.
The pot stills look good against the old-fashioned white plaster walls.
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Image Exhibit: Asaka distillery Facebook
For more information about Asaka Distillery, please click here.
7．summary
■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.
