Yuza (遊佐), the only whisky distillery in Yamagata Prefecture, will release a new blended whisky called Yuza Special Blend on October 1, 2026. At 4,950 yen for a 700ml bottle without a gift carton, it is the most affordable release yet from a producer better known for single malts that sell out within hours.
The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and labelled as a Japanese blended whisky. According to the distillery, it combines domestically produced grain whisky with a range of malt whiskies distilled at Yuza, matured mainly in sherry casks. Kinryu Co., the sake and shochu maker that owns the distillery, describes the character as raisin-like and mellow, with the fruity, sherried profile that runs through most Yuza bottlings. A version with a printed carton is priced at 5,280 yen.
Yuza built its name on malt. It began distilling in 2018 at the foot of Mount Chokai (鳥海山), using Forsyths pot stills and following Scottish production methods closely, and bottles only malt whisky it considers fully matured. Blended releases are newer for the distillery: it put out Yuza Signature Blend as a standard product and the limited Yuza Classical Blend, priced at 11,000 yen, earlier in 2026. Special Blend sits well below both, and is aimed at drinkers who want the house style at an everyday price.
Because it uses grain whisky alongside Yuza’s malt, Special Blend is a blend rather than a single malt, and the grain component is described as domestically produced. For readers still sorting out the categories, our explainer on what counts as Japanese whisky covers the labelling rules that apply, and our guide to world blended whisky explains why grain sourcing matters for how a bottle can be described.
Why this matters beyond Japan
Outside Japan, Yuza is one of the harder Japanese single malts to find. Its annual malt editions are allocated in small quantities and command high prices at UK and European specialists and at auction. A sub-5,000-yen blend is unlikely to change that picture in the short term, and early volumes will almost certainly stay in Japan. But it follows a pattern seen at other small Japanese distilleries, from Chichibu (秩父) to Nagahama (長濱), of using accessible blends to widen a range that started with scarce, expensive malt. Whether Special Blend reaches export markets will depend on how much stock Kinryu can spare once domestic demand is met.
Source: Japanese Whisky Dictionary (jpwhisky.net) (Japanese)