In Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture, in the foothills of the Southern Alps Kokai Koma no Take, lies Suntory's second whisky distillery, the Hakushu Distillery, which is known as the "distillery built in the forest" and is the highest whisky distillery in Japan. Rarely, in order to preserve the natural environment near the distillery, SUNTORY acquired more than 800,000 square meters of land in the surrounding area, of which 80% is covered by forests, and there is also a wild bird sanctuary hidden in it.
 
Hakushu is the best example of the significance of water to whisky, and the prosperity of the Hakushu Distillery today is entirely due to its excellent water source. The Hakushu Distillery uses spring water from the snowmelt in the high mountains of the Southern Alps, which is infiltrated by layers of granite and has extremely low hardness, making it the softest whisky in the world.
 
The Hakushu Distillery has 6 pairs of 12 stills of different shapes, and through the combination and combination of stills, it is possible to produce dozens of types of raw sake. With the help of Hakushu's master blenders and techniques, Hakushu has launched several highly acclaimed single malt whiskies, including regular whiskies from 12, 15, 18 and 1973. At the same time, the raw sake produced by Hakushu Distillery is also used in the creation of Hibiki Hibiki blended whisky.
 
Hakushu 12 Year Old is a blend of Hakushu original liquor aged in American white oak barrels for more than 12 years, and the characteristics of this whisky correspond to the location of the distillation, highlighting a forest flavor, sweet and light on the nose, soft and pure on the palate, with a pronounced fruity taste, and the smell of pear lingers in it, making it a very refreshing whisky. Unfortunately, in June 2018, the Hakushu Distillery announced that it would stop selling Hakushu for 12 years, and it is expected that its market price will remain at a high level for the next few years.
 
The peat smell is one of the characteristics that distinguish Hakushu Distillery from Yamazaki Distillery. Unlike Yamazaki Distillery, Hakushu Distillery uses peat dried malt imported from Scotland, and this smoky peat flavor is more prominent in high-vintage spirits, such as Hakushu 18 and Hakushu 25. The 25-year-old Hakushu is worth mentioning, using heavily peated dried malt from Scotland, and the original spirit has been barrel-aged in the forest for more than 25 years, and the finished product has a strong woody aroma with a light smoky taste, wrapped in floral and grassy notes.
 
Hakushu 25 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is highly sought after at the World Whisky Awards (WWA), winning the Best Single Malt Whisky Award in Japan in 2016 and 2017, and the World's Best Single Malt Whisky in 2018.
 
If the budget is insufficient, 1973 would be the best place to get started in the White State. Released in 2012, this unvintage whisky has a minty scent and is crisp on the palate with a slightly smoky finish. Also a non-vintage whisky, Hakushu 1973 has a slightly more peated smoke than Yamazaki 1923, but not as sweet as Yamazaki 1923, which is also worth trying. Baizhou 1973 is sold for about 1,000 yuan on domestic e-commerce platforms.