Beam Suntory Ao Whisky Review

Ao, a blend of whiskies from the five countries where Beam Suntory owns distilleries – Scotland, Ireland, United States, Canada and Japan has finally hit the retail shelves in the US.

Ao was initially sold only in Japan from early 2019, and then as a global travel retail release in late 2020, was explained in a Zoom call by Mike Miyamoto, Beam Suntory’s Global Brand Ambassador and a well respected figure in the whisky industry. 

“We wanted a whisky that brings the world together ‘as one’ through Japanese craftsmanship,” he said. “We called it Ao as that means ‘deep blue’ in Japanese, reflecting the oceans that link it. The bottle has five faces to represent the five countries.” 

The celebrated Japanese calligrapher, Ogino Tansetsu, designed the bottle’s fetching label.

Miyamoto also revealed that the five components of the blend were aged between 5 and 18 years in bourbon casks and sherry butts. 

If you’re wondering which of the Beam Suntory liquids actually make the blend, we’re told it’s the Ardmore and Glen Garioch from Scotland, the Cooley from Ireland, Alberta from Canada, Jim Beam from the U.S. and the Yamazaki and Hakushu from Japan.

Fifth generation Suntory chief blender, Shinji Fukuyo, carefully selected the liquids used based-on Suntory’s globally recognized Monozukuri craftsmanship – a relentless pursuit of perfection, attention to detail and quality. Building on Suntory’s history of craftsmanship, this innovative, premium blended whisky embodies the spirit of Suntory and is a tribute to the liquid’s long history.

So how does it taste? 

In short, Ao is a terrific whisky in complete harmony. (See what I did there?)

BEAM SUNTORY AO TASTING NOTES:

Age: NAS

Proof: 86

Color: Golden

Nose: Bright with a top note of vanilla and a pineapple(ish) fruitiness. 

Palate: Sweet, woody aroma with honey and cinnamon-like spiciness preceded a smooth and sweet mouthfeel with smoky, spicy and woody notes. 

Finish: A long, lingering finish with many layers of complexity round out what I would say is the smoothest blend I’ve had in years.