Suntory World Whisky Ao (70cl, 43%)

Ao is a blended whisky from Suntory, in a 70cl bottle at 43%. It brings together whiskies from five countries: Yamazaki and Hakushu in Japan, Ardmore and Glen Garioch in Scotland, Cooley in Ireland, Jim Beam Clermont in the USA and Alberta in Canada. Ao means blue in Japanese, a reference to the seas between those origins, and the five-sided bottle gives each country one side. The gold lettering was drawn by the calligrapher Tansetsu Ogino, and Shinji Fukuyo, Suntory's chief blender, chose the whiskies. The nose is vanilla and pineapple-like fruit with creamy sweetness and lasting wood. The palate starts soft and sweet before smoke and cinnamon-like spice emerge. The finish keeps sweetness and smoke together with spicy, woody notes.