Yamazakura New Born Single Cask 70cl – Bourbon 1st Fill 2019 Cask No. 17189 (Limited Edition)
Brand: Yamazakura (Sasanokawa Shuzo) | Category: Japanese Single Malt | ABV: 61% | Origin: Japan | Vol: 700ml

Japan’s Young Rebel with an Old Soul

This isn’t your typical Japanese whisky. The Yamazakura New Born is a bold, unfiltered glimpse into the future of Japanese craft, a raw, unpolished gem drawn from a single first-fill bourbon cask. Bottled at a commanding 61% ABV, it captures the energy of youth and the discipline of centuries-old brewing tradition. Limited, loud, and utterly captivating.

Tasting Profile

Nose:
Surprisingly rich for its age, waves of fresh-cut pear, clover honey, and vanilla bean rise through a curtain of warm oak and charred lemon peel.

Palate:
Fiery but refined. Expect bursts of tropical fruit, raw sugar, toasted barley, and sharp citrus zest, all carried by the intensity of the cask strength. It grips, it glows, and it grows bolder with every sip.

Finish:
Lingering and assertive, drying spice, sweet corn, and charred oak notes fade slow and steady. It leaves a trail that begs for reflection.

Production Details

Distilled in 2019 at Sasanokawa Shuzo, one of Japan’s oldest spirit houses, this Single Cask New Born was aged exclusively in a first-fill bourbon barrel (Cask No. 17189). Non-chill filtered and bottled at natural cask strength, this limited-edition expression showcases the untamed beauty of Japanese whisky in its formative years. Each bottle is individually numbered, once it’s gone, it’s history.

Perfect For

Collectors chasing the next cult Japanese bottle. Whisky adventurers who want to taste potential, not perfection. Or the seasoned enthusiast who understands that true luxury lies in rarity, and in rawness.

Expert Notes

While young, this New Born expression reveals masterful distilling and bold cask management. It’s earned quiet praise in underground whisky circles and is viewed as a time capsule for what Yamazakura is becoming, complex, daring, and authentically Japanese.

Customer Reviews

"It’s wild, intense, and beautifully Japanese. A glimpse into something great." — Kenji, BGC

"Tasted like an Islay and a Nikka had a genius baby. Complex and unforgettable." — Leo, Davao

"Cask strength heat with Japanese finesse. Don’t sleep on this bottle." — Victor, San Juan

Interesting Fact

Sasanokawa Shuzo began making sake in 1765 and ventured into whisky in 1946, but only recently has its Yamazakura label begun catching the eyes of collectors outside Japan. This New Born release is a whisper of its future, told through the fire of youth.

Serving Suggestions

Pour it neat to experience its full raw character, or add a drop of water to calm the heat and unlock soft fruit and grain notes. It’s young, yes, but it demands to be taken seriously.

Distillery Background

Sasanokawa Shuzo is a hidden pillar of Japanese distilling. Based in Koriyama, Fukushima, this family-run house quietly supported Ichiro Akuto during his early whisky days and now it’s stepping out with bold releases of its own. Yamazakura is their calling card, a name that means “mountain cherry blossom,” symbolizing strength, beauty, and fleeting brilliance.