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Hakushu 12 Year Old

白州12年

Allocated Meets the JSLMA standard

What it costs in Japan

¥14,800

about $99 at ¥150/$ (2026-08)

Our estimate · checked August 2026

US retail is 2.0× the Japanese price — about $96 more per bottle.

Observed in a Japanese shop · checked August 2026
Total Wine & More listed price, 750ml. US bottles are 750ml against 700ml in Japan.

Can you actually buy it here?

Shops receive limited quantities. Sells out, but turns up if you look.

Our estimate · checked August 2026

Is it Japanese whisky?

Mashed, fermented, distilled, matured and bottled in Japan, per the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association standard.

How it tastes

Green apple and mint, with a wisp of smoke hiding behind it. Lighter than the Yamazaki and built for a highball — which is how most people in Japan actually drink it, whatever the price suggests.

Peat
Sweetness
Fruit
Spice
Oak
Smoke
Complexity
Body

Our estimates, scored the same way across every bottle so they can be compared.

Specification

ProducerHakushu Distillery
RegionChubu
TypeSingle Malt
Age12 years
ABV43%
CasksAmerican oak
Best servedHighball, With water
Our rating86 / 100 (editorial)

Where to buy outside Japan

UK retailers ship to the US state by state, and the list changes. Check your state on the retailer's own site before ordering — any state list we published here would be out of date within months.

If you like this

Hakushu Distiller's Reserve

白州 ディスティラーズリザーブ

Hakushu Distillery · Single Malt · 43%

Allocated Meets the JSLMA standard

¥5,500

5.6× abroad

Nikka Days

ニッカ セッション デイズ

Nikka Whisky · Blended · 40%

On the shelf Not declared

¥2,500

2.2× abroad

Suntory Toki

サントリー 季 (トキ)

Suntory · Blended · 43%

On the shelf Meets the JSLMA standard

¥3,200

1.2× abroad