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When you think whiskey your first thought is about Scottish whiskey. For a while now Scottish whiskey’s have led the way as being the best in the world. Varieties of Scotch whisky has been named best in the world in two of the last three years – Old Pulteney’s 21 year-old single malt in 2012 and Glenmorangie Ealanta in 2014.

But things have taken a drastic turn according to next year’s edition of Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible. The top spot has been given to Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, according to the Daily Mail, which received a copy of the yet-to-be-published guide.
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Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible is the world’s leading whisky guide. Each edition contains roughly 4,500 detailed, professionally analysed and easy to understand tasting notes on the world’s leading and lesser known whiskies.

The Whisky Bible describes the winning Yamazaki whisky as “rich and fruity,” with a nose of “exquisite boldness” and finish of “light, teasing spice.”  The Yamazaki Single Malt, from Japan’s oldest distillery which dates back to 1923, was given 97.5 marks out of 100 by Murray – who hailed its ‘nose of exquisite boldness’ and finish of ‘light, teasing spice’.

According to its website, the Yamazaki distillery, “Japan’s first single malt whisky distillery,” was built in the 1920s to “create a whisky uniquely suited to Japan’s climate that would be embraced by the Japanese.”
To make matter worse for the Scotts, for the first time in the Whiskey Bible’s 12 years of publishing, a Scottish brand wasn’t in the top five. The European Whiskey of the Year going to Chapter 14 Not Peated, from the English Whisky Company.
American whiskies take second and third prize, including repeat second-place winner William Larue Weller, a Kentucky bourbon.
The winning Yamazaki whisky – of which only 18,000 bottles were made – is only sold in a few hundred specialist shops.