Where Can You Find the Best Japanese Whisky Deals on Black Friday?

Three Japanese bottles will be part of Spiritory's Black Friday sale later this month: the Yamazaki Distillers Reserve Single Malt Whisky and the Hakushu Distillers Reserve Single Malt, each at €54 instead of the RRP of €99, a saving of 45%, and the Hakushu 18 Years Old Single Malt Whisky at €464 instead of the RRP of €699, a saving of 34%. Japanese whisky rarely gets cheaper, so the Distiller's Reserve pair is the usual way in, and last year's featured Japanese bottles ran from 26% to 56% below RRP.

Key Takeaways

• Three Japanese bottles will be part of Spiritory's Black Friday sale: Yamazaki Distillers Reserve and Hakushu Distillers Reserve at €54 each instead of the RRP of €99, and Hakushu 18 Years Old at €464 instead of the RRP of €699.

• Only 6 of the 56 bottles Spiritory featured in 2025 were Japanese. Their savings ran from 26% to 56% against RRP.

• Aged stock is the limit. In 2018 Suntory announced the end of Hakushu 12 and Hibiki 17 in some markets because of supply constraints.

• Compare the exact edition, release year, size and box. Prices are plus shipping, and there is a limited number of bottles.

Tip: Decide which style you want before Black Friday. Yamazaki leans gentle, sweet and fruity, while Hakushu leans fresh, herbal and gently smoky, so the same price buys a different glass.

Which Japanese Bottles Will Be Part of This Year's Sale?

All three are Suntory single malts bottled at 43%. Prices are plus shipping, and there is a limited number of bottles.

• Yamazaki Distillers Reserve Single Malt Whisky: €54 instead of the RRP of €99, a saving of 45%.

• Hakushu Distillers Reserve Single Malt: €54 instead of the RRP of €99, a saving of 45%.

• Hakushu 18 Years Old Single Malt Whisky: €464 instead of the RRP of €699, a saving of 34%.

The Yamazaki Distillery was founded in 1923, and Suntory calls it Japan's first and oldest malt whisky distillery. Suntory describes the Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve as mild and delicately sweet, with hints of fresh red fruit. At launch in 2014 it was a vatting from Bordeaux wine casks, sherry casks, mizunara casks (Japanese oak) and American oak casks.

Hakushu was built in 1973 deep in the forests of Mt. Kaikomagatake in the Japanese Southern Alps. Suntory calls its Distiller's Reserve refreshing and citrusy. At launch it blended lightly peated malt, heavily peated malt and malt matured in American oak.

The Hakushu 18 sits a clear step above. Suntory's own notes describe a crisp, gently smoky single malt with herbal character: ripe pear and dried mint on the nose, then jasmine, mango and quince, with a long, pleasantly smoked finish. The listing on Spiritory is the new design, so check the label against the photos before you compare it with any older bottle.

Why Does Japanese Whisky Rarely Get Cheaper?

The short answer is stock. Whisky takes years to mature, so a distillery cannot bring bottles forward when demand rises. In May 2018, Suntory said that Hibiki 17 Year Old and Hakushu 12 Year Old would be discontinued in markets after that year because of supply constraints on certain aged whiskies. It shows that the maker treats aged stock as the limit on what it can sell.

That pressure shows up in a sale calendar. Of the 56 bottles Spiritory featured for Black Friday 2025, only six were Japanese. That is a small share of the list, which fits a category where aged stock is tight.

It is also why the Distiller's Reserve pair is the usual way in. Suntory introduced Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve and Hakushu Distiller's Reserve in 2014, first in the UK and France, as single malts without an age statement. They contain whisky aged from about 8 to 20 years. A blend built this way does not depend on one old cask, so it can be made in larger numbers than an age statement bottle.

To see how the two differ in the glass, read our comparison of Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve and Hakushu Distiller's Reserve.

What Did Spiritory Feature From Japan Last Year?

Six Japanese bottles were featured in 2025, at published savings of 26% to 56% against RRP. Five of the six sat above the 33% median for all 56 bottles. Five are listed here as a record of last year, not as current offers.

• Hibiki Blossom Harmony 2022: 40% below RRP

• Yamazaki 12 Years Old 100th Anniversary Edition: 42% below RRP

• Hakushu 12 Years Old 100th Anniversary Edition: 44% below RRP

• Yamazaki 18 Years Old Mizunara 100th Anniversary Edition: 48% below RRP

• Hakushu 18 Years Old Peated Malt 100th Anniversary Edition: 56% below RRP

Most were limited or special editions. This year's three are different: two entry bottles and one regular age statement malt. For the wider pattern across brands, see Which Whisky Brands Go on Sale on Black Friday?

How Do You Judge a Japanese Whisky Deal?

A percentage tells you how far a price sits below the RRP. It does not tell you whether you are comparing the same bottle. Work through the same short list each time.

• Match the exact edition. Hakushu 18 and Hakushu 18 Peated Malt are different whiskies, and the same age statement can exist in an older and a new design.

• Check the release year. Limited editions such as the 100th Anniversary bottles and the Blossom Harmony 2022 are tied to one year.

• Check the size and strength. This year's three are bottled at 43%, and a 70cl bottle is not directly comparable with a 75cl one from another market.

• Check the box. Some listings include the original box and some do not.

• Read the label wording. Since 1 April 2021, the industry's labelling standard for Japanese whisky requires fermentation and distillation, at least three years of maturing and bottling to take place in Japan.

For the timing side of the weekend, our guide on the best time to buy whisky around Black Friday covers when to look.

Tip: Save the product pages of the bottles you want now. When the sale begins, you can check that name, age statement, size and box still match before you decide.

FAQ

Which Japanese whisky deals will Spiritory have on Black Friday?

Yamazaki Distillers Reserve and Hakushu Distillers Reserve will each be part of Spiritory's Black Friday sale at €54 instead of the RRP of €99, a saving of 45%. Hakushu 18 Years Old will be at €464 instead of the RRP of €699, a saving of 34%.

Why does Japanese whisky rarely get cheaper?

Aged stock is limited. In 2018 Suntory said supply constraints on certain aged whiskies would end Hibiki 17 and Hakushu 12 in markets after that year. Only 6 of the 56 bottles featured by Spiritory in 2025 were Japanese.

Why is Distiller's Reserve the usual way into Yamazaki and Hakushu?

It is a single malt without an age statement, launched by Suntory in 2014. It carries each distillery's style without relying on one old cask, so it can be made in larger numbers.