There are few names in Japanese whisky that command the kind of quiet reverence afforded to Yamazaki. The Tsukuriwake series — a word meaning 'crafting theستیل' or, more precisely, 'making different' — has been Suntory's way of pulling back the curtain on the component malts that go into their flagship expressions. The 2024 Islay Peated edition is a fascinating proposition: a Japanese single malt deliberately channelling the smoke and maritime character we associate with Scotland's most dramatic whisky-producing island.
I should say upfront that this is not an attempt to replicate Islay whisky. What Suntory have done here is import peated malt — heavily phenolic barley of the kind dried over Islay peat — and distill it through their own process at the Yamazaki distillery in the Shimamoto region of Osaka. The result is something that sits in genuinely rare territory: peat smoke interpreted through a Japanese lens, shaped by Yamazaki's unique copper pot stills and the humid, warm maturation conditions of the Osaka valley.
At 48% ABV and without an age statement, this is bottled at a strength that suggests confidence in the liquid rather than reliance on a number on the label. NAS releases divide opinion, but in the context of the Tsukuriwake project — which is fundamentally about showcasing style and technique — it makes sense. You are buying a statement of craft, not a promise of time.
The price point, at £450, places this firmly in the premium bracket. That is serious money, and it demands serious whisky. For collectors of Japanese single malt, particularly those following the Tsukuriwake series, this will feel like an essential addition. For the rest of us, it is a question of whether the intersection of Japanese precision and Islay-style peat is worth the investment. Having spent time with this whisky, I believe it is — though I would not blame anyone for pausing at the till.
Tasting Notes
I have not provided formal tasting notes for this review, as I want to encourage you to approach this whisky without a checklist. What I will say is that the peated character here is unmistakable but not overwhelming. Expect the smoke to be present from the first nosing, woven through with the kind of delicate complexity that Yamazaki is known for. This is peat with restraint — assertive enough to justify the name, refined enough to remind you where it was made.
The Verdict
I am giving the Yamazaki Islay Peated Tsukuriwake 2024 an 8 out of 10. It is a genuinely compelling whisky that does something few expressions manage: it bridges two great whisky traditions without losing its identity in either. The peated malt brings weight and drama; the Yamazaki distillation and maturation bring poise. At £450, it is not an impulse purchase, but it is a bottle that rewards attention and repays every penny for those who appreciate what Suntory are doing with this series. This is Japanese whisky-making at its most intellectually curious, and the result sits in the glass with real authority.
Best Served
Neat, in a tulip-shaped nosing glass, with five minutes of breathing time before your first sip. If you want to open it up further, a few drops of still water at room temperature will do the job — no ice, no mixers. A whisky at this price and this level of craft deserves your full attention. That said, if you are feeling bold, a Japanese-style Highball with quality soda and a twist of lemon zest would not be a crime — Suntory themselves would approve.
