'Must-have' Japanese whisky turns 100 as demand soars

Tokyo Whisky Library manager Junpei Kusunoki displaying various Japanese whiskies at the bar at Minami Aoyama in Tokyo. Japan's Yamazaki distillery marks its 100th anniversary this year with plenty to celebrate, as the country's acclaimed aged whiskys command increasingly eye-watering prices thanks to growing demand and longstanding shortages. - AFP

YAMAZAKI (AFP): The famed Yamazaki distillery marks its 100th anniversary this year with plenty to celebrate, as Japan's acclaimed aged whiskies command increasingly eye-watering prices thanks to growing demand and longstanding shortages.

Japan's oldest distillery has sat at the foot of a mountain outside Kyoto since it was built by Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Yamazaki maker Suntory, who wanted to make whisky suited to a Japanese palate.