At ¥600 a can (US $4.29), and weighing at 9% ABV, Suntory has launched a new premium highball, made from non-age-statement Hakushu whisky.
The label text has a couple notes in English and Japanese:
- “The distillery surrounded by forest at the foot of the Southern Japan Alps”
- “白州蒸溜所製原酒 ハイボール” (Hakushu Distillery’s Original Alcohol Highball”
- “香るスモーキー” (Smokey Fragrance)
At a bottle-equivalent price of ¥5,300 for the liquid inside, it’s +18% more expensive than Hakushu’s NAS MSRP of ¥4,500.
As far as flavour goes, the bar is very low; it’s probably the best canned highball you can buy in Japan. There is some woodiness and smoke to it, so I’ll throw it a 3/5.
