Dark chocolate and sea salt, champagne and caviar, DeNiro and Scorsese. What do these team-ups have in common? Though loved and lauded on their own, when paired together, something magical happens. And you can add Glenfiddich and Yozakura to that list.
Through skillful experimentation, Glenfiddich utilised rare Japanese ex-Amori casks to create a unique, innovative marriage bursting with flavour. Yozakura, Japanese for cherry blossom viewing at night, is a rare occasion to capture, and so is Glenfiddich’s Grand Yozakura; a rare, limited edition only ever produced once.
Check out Esquire’s Q&A with Claudia Falcone, global brand director for Glenfiddich, below.
1. Why is the Grand Series so important to the Glenfiddich brand?
The Grand Series underpins Glenfiddich’s pioneering spirit and sense of experimentation. It allows us to celebrate the unexpected pairing of two traditional worlds to take luxury to a new level. Within this series we seek ways in which we can do things differently. Grand is a delicately disruptive series of single malts which elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary.
2. What makes this newest bottle special?
This is the first Single Malt Scotch Whisky to be finished in ex-Awamori casks and the first release within the Grand Series to be produced as a limited edition. The rarity of both liquid and cask in this marriage of cultures encompasses the ethos of the Grand Series; exquisite experimentation. It is a one-off drinking experience.
This expression has been aged for a minimum of 29 years in American and European Oak casks and finished over a period of six months in exceptionally rare Japanese ex-Awamori casks which have been meticulously sourced. It brings together distinct flavour profiles from Scotland and Japan to create a true taste of luxurious innovation.
3. Why did Glenfiddich choose the Yozakura as the brand’s first limited edition release in the Grand Series collection?
The expression is a tribute to Hanami, the “cherry blossom festival,” when Japan appreciates the temporal beauty of nature of the Sakura. It is a fleeting moment, a time for renewal and optimism, and therefore the perfect choice for the first expression in a limited-edition collection.
The festival is best experienced illuminated after dark where it is known as the Yozakura or ‘night Sakura’. Grand Yozakura is a nod towards the magical moment of fleeting beauty when Japanese cherry blossom is admired under the light of the moon.
4. Why did distillers pick ex-Awamori oak casks specifically to create this blend? What are the barrels bringing to the expression?
Awamori is the oldest distilled alcoholic drink in Japan and is made using long grain indica rice. Made in Okinawa, a 100km-long string of islands to the far south of Japan, it has its own geographical identity and regional character. Awamori is prevalent across Asia and is typically aged in traditional clay pots.
Awamori Cask ageing is rare and a niche category and only produced in small quantities. One of the features of Awamori is its sweet smell almost like vanilla or caramel. Especially in aged Awamori which has a sweet and mellow taste.
5. This bottle celebrates the Hanami Cherry Blossom festival. Does Glenfiddich find its conceptual influences first and build flavours around them, or is it the other way around? Is the process different for each bottle?
There is nothing more important to us, than the liquid itself. The starting point is always our search for new flavours and everything else grows from that.
6. You’ve partnered with Japanese artist, June for the bottle packaging, and Fantasista Utamaro for a series of digital artwork to accompany the Grand Yozakura. Why is it important to the distiller that the artwork and outside of the bottle complements what is inside?
Glenfiddich has a long history of artistic collaborations, and we were honoured to work with June, whose design for the interior of the Grand Yozakura pack shows a collision of two cultures. The bottle and its packaging is integral to the finished product as an exciting and exclusive choice for whisky drinkers who share our curiosity.
We were thrilled to see partnerships with various artists come to life in different markets including Fantasista Ultamaro where we developed digitally animated dynamic art installations that mirror the experience of watching cherry blossoms at night time. Uta’s artworks appeared exclusively in airports in the months when cherry blossoms are in peak bloom in Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
7. Grand Yozakura is perhaps Glenfiddich’s most ambitious cultural fusion of flavours. Is there a “line” in this pursuit of originality that stays true to the established Glenfiddich character?
The thing I love about the Grand Series is that even though we are pushing flavours and being more innovative – it’s still fundamentally Glenfiddich at its core. They are all recognisably Glenfiddich, we are just accentuating that core DNA.
8. The Grand Series has been inspired by the Caribbean in the Gran Reserva, French influence in the Grand Cru and Grande Couronne, and Japanese influence in the Grand Yozakura. Where will the distiller go for its next Grand offering?
Brian Kinsman is always experimenting. What I can say is that the next offering in the Grand Series will be equally as unexpected and innovative as the one before but still recognisably Glenfiddich.
Scotland and Japan have embodied the fighting spirit for centuries, so it was only a matter of time before somebody lassoed the two of them into a bottle. The design is a homage to both heritages and their culinary significance, and the packaging perfectly embodies the cherry blossom season for which Japan is so famous.
Click here for the exclusive bottle, and here for the official Instagram account.