Yamazaki 18 Year Old Japanese Single Malt Whisky has been awarded the Supreme Champion Spirit title at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2025, marking the brand’s third consecutive year receiving this exceptionally rare and prestigious honor, which are Yamazaki 12 Years Old in 2024 and Yamazaki 25 Years Old in 2023. This accolade is among the most esteemed in the spirits industry, recognizing outstanding quality through rigorous blind tastings conducted by world-renowned expert judges who evaluate thousands of entries annually.
Yamazaki 18’s victory represents an unprecedented hat-trick in ISC history, underscoring the remarkable craftsmanship, depth, and refinement that define Yamazaki whiskies. It also reflects Suntory’s unwavering commitment to excellence through the Japanese philosophy of kaizen—continuous improvement.
Judges described Yamazaki 18 as “wonderfully well-aged, perfectly rounded,” and “an absolutely superb whisky within its category,” highlighting its smoothness, complexity, and impeccably balanced flavor profile. This award affirms Yamazaki 18’s status as a world-class whisky and exemplifies the pinnacle of Japanese whisky artistry.
Following the wins of Yamazaki 25 Years Old in 2023 and Yamazaki 12 Years Old in 2024, this third consecutive Supreme Champion award further cements Suntory’s sustained excellence. Additionally, Suntory has been named Producer of the Year in the Japanese Whisky category for the sixth consecutive year. These accolades celebrate the skill of Suntory’s master blenders, particularly Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo, elevating Yamazaki 18’s global reputation and advancing Japanese whisky’s prestige worldwide.
The Challenge of the Supreme Champion Spirit AwardThe Supreme Champion Spirit is awarded to the single highest-scoring trophy-winning spirit across all categories. After category winners are chosen, they undergo an additional blind tasting led by category chairs to identify the spirit with the top score. A blind tasting of over 1,000 whiskies alone during the ISC. This means the winner must surpass champions from a wide spectrum of spirits—whiskies, brandies, vodkas, rums, gins, and more—demonstrating exceptional quality, balance, and character.
In summary, winning the ISC Supreme Champion Spirit award represents a pinnacle of global spirits adjudication. Yamazaki 18’s unprecedented three-year winning streak not only reflects superior craftsmanship but also its elevated position as one of the world’s finest single malts, continuously advancing the boundaries of Japanese whisky.Explore more : Yamazaki 18 Year Old Japanese Single Malt Whisky (Older Version)Nosing Note:Color: Deep amber Nose: Raisin, apricot, cafe au lait, Mizunara (Japanese oak) Palate: Blackberry, strawberry jam, dark chocolate. Finish: Long, spicy, smooth and a fair amount of cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. (Suntory's Tasting Notes) Whiskyfun gave this 90 points. SWSC Double Gold Medal in 2005, IWSC Trophy in 2006 and ISC Gold in 2007. This is bottled prior to 2018.