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Suntory Ao

サントリー 碧 Ao

On the shelf Does not meet the standard

What it costs in Japan

¥5,000

about $33 at ¥150/$ (2026-08)

Our estimate · checked August 2026

US retail is 2.2× the Japanese price — about $41 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, which runs high on bottles Japan does not officially export. Replace when a Total Wine listing is confirmed.

Can you actually buy it here?

Stocked by ordinary Japanese liquor shops and supermarkets at list price.

Our estimate · checked August 2026

Is it Japanese whisky?

Does not meet the JSLMA standard, usually because some of the liquid was distilled outside Japan. Several producers say so openly — this is a statement about the category a bottle belongs to, not about its quality.

How it tastes

Blended from whisky made in five countries, including Japan. Suntory is open about this — it is sold as a world blend, not as Japanese whisky — but it sits on the same shelf and confuses plenty of buyers abroad. Good in its own right; just not what the label design implies.

Peat
Sweetness
Fruit
Spice
Oak
Smoke
Complexity
Body

Our estimates, scored the same way across every bottle so they can be compared.

Specification

ProducerSuntory
RegionKansai
TypeWorld Blend
AgeNo age statement
ABV43%
CasksAmerican oak, Sherry, Mizunara
Best servedHighball
Our rating82 / 100 (editorial)

Where to buy outside Japan

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 Check your state on the retailer's own site before ordering — any state list we published here would be out of date within months.

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響 JAPANESE HARMONY

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¥11,000

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Mars Komagatake Single Malt

マルス駒ヶ岳

Mars Shinshu Distillery · Single Malt · 50%

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¥8,000

3.0× abroad