Allocated Meets the JSLMA standard
¥11,000
1.2× abroad
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Hakushu 18 Year Old
白州18年
Lottery only Meets the JSLMA standard
What it costs in Japan
¥48,000
about $320 at ¥150/$ (2026-08)
Our estimate · checked August 2026
US retail is 2.5× the Japanese price — about $490 more per bottle.
Observed in a Japanese shop · checked August 2026
wine-searcher US average, 750ml. Weaker than a single named retailer — averages blend ordinary shops with specialist importers. Replace when a Total Wine listing is confirmed.
Can you actually buy it here?
Sold by application lottery (抽選). You cannot simply walk in and buy one, even in Japan.
Our estimate · checked August 2026
Is it Japanese whisky?
Mashed, fermented, distilled, matured and bottled in Japan, per the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association standard.
How it tastes
Everything the 12 does, with eighteen years of fruit behind it. Still recognisably green and forest-like rather than heavy. Lottery-only in Japan.
Peat
Sweetness
Fruit
Spice
Oak
Smoke
Complexity
Body
Our estimates, scored the same way across every bottle so they can be compared.
Specification
| Producer | Hakushu Distillery |
|---|---|
| Region | Chubu |
| Type | Single Malt |
| Age | 18 years |
| ABV | 43% |
| Casks | American oak, Sherry |
| Best served | Neat |
| Our rating | 91 / 100 (editorial) |
Where to buy outside Japan
- The Whisky Exchange — ships from UK · not yet linked (affiliate application pending)
- Master of Malt — ships from UK · not yet linked (affiliate application pending)
UK retailers ship to the US state by state, and the list changes. Check your state on the retailer's own site before ordering — any state list we published here would be out of date within months.
If you like this
On the shelf Does not meet the standard
¥5,000
2.2× abroad
Allocated Meets the JSLMA standard
¥16,800
1.6× abroad