We at dekanta have amassed quite a collection of Suntory Royal. These characteristically square shaped bottles, were once the greatest thing you could ever get from Suntory. Although the Yamazaki, as well as the Hibiki have earned that title by now the Royal series continues to be popular, with Suntory releasing all sorts of gift sets, commemorative bottles and specialty bottles every year. If you are a whisky fan knowing a thing or two about these bottles is in order. Let us get you started on the basics.

Suntory Royal came to markets in 1960, 10 years after Suntory Old. It was intended to be in a class even higher than Suntory Old which was considered especially prestigious at the time. Japan was of course a much poorer country back then and Royal was considered a whisky for the super rich. During the 1980’s when the company lunched new products such as the Yamazaki and the Hibiki Royal was downgraded somewhat and became a mid ranking whisky. At the same time Royal was heavily advertised with famous Hollywood actors sometimes appearing in the commercials, but more on that later. The series is also notable for being the last whisky Torii san, the founder of Suntory was in charge of making as he died two years later, in 1962.

It would take forever to describe all Suntory Royal bottles, so let’s settle on a single bottle, the Suntory Royal 12 Years old to give you the gist on what to expect:

The nose: licorice, lemon and banana, sweet and creamy.

The Palate: very creamy but yet with a hint of bitterness, licorice, banana, nutmeg and some syrup. You will notice a taste of grains, and we think it reminds a bit of bourbun.

Finish: One word: Smooth!

Like all Suntory whiskies Royal is an excellent product, and people are generally positive towards it. Take a look at some of them here!