Article first published by our partner, Japanese Whisky Dictionary. Visit them here. Find the original article here.

SUNTORY WORLD WHISKY Ao is the result of Suntory’s new challenge to develop a blended whisky by blending the original spirits of the world’s five major whiskies, which are rich in character.

The bottle design is based on the blue color of the ocean that connects Japan and the world, the pentagonal shape of the bottle representing the five major whiskies, and the bottle neck depicting a compass.

“Ao SMOKY PLEASURE” is a blend of “SUNTORY WORLD WHISKY Ao” with a focus on peated malts. The label design was also redesigned, with a blue color and a gray color that evokes smokiness.

The Bottle

The contents are a blend of Irish and Scotch whiskies with a strong smoky character, Japanese whisky with a rounded smoky character, and American and Canadian whisky, giving the product a smooth taste with a smoky character.

The packaging uses gray as the base color of the label to clearly express the smoky flavor. The design also expresses the overlapping flavors of the various base liquors with a variety of interwoven colors.

Quote from SUNTORY’s official website

Our Take

It was not as smoky as I expected and had a well-balanced taste of sweetness and citrus freshness. Whether served straight, on the rocks, or with soda, the quirkiness is moderate and light and easy to drink.

At the point of aroma, the smokiness is definitely noticeable, but in the mouth, the sweetness and citrus freshness are felt just as much as the smokiness. The smokiness quickly and pleasantly slips away in the aftertaste, followed by a soft sweetness reminiscent of honey and vanilla, and the pungent taste of alcohol.

We have often heard people say that the regular “Ao” has a strong bourbon taste, but we think that this “Ao smoky pleasure” has a very good balance between the smoky base liquors such as Bowmore and Laphroaig, and the sweet base liquors such as bourbon.

The regular version of “Ao” is sold in limited quantities followed by regular sales. We hope that “Ao smoky pleasure” will also be available in the regular version in the future.

(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)

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