The seminal and globally successful Japanese whisky brand Suntory does not have enough aged stock to meet demand.
Thus the company announced this week that it will discontinue the 12-year-old Hakushu and 17-year-old Hibiki.
Both are award-winning brands that have grown in popularity over the past decade, as Japanese whisky gained attention worldwide.
This problem is nothing new in the world of whiskey/whisky, of course. Producers in America and Scotland have also struggled to keep up with demand amidst the recent boom in popularity of brown spirits. Hence why companies are releasing more blended whiskeys, working with what they have to put new products onto shelves and back bars.
Suntory reportedly does not believe that the the 12-year-old Hakushu and 17-year-old Hibiki are both gone for good, however. A company spokesperson told GlobalNews.ca that both products will have “limited availability in the next few years” while Suntory takes steps to ramp up future production.
“Suntory has made strong investments to increase production capacity and ensure we are primed for continued long-term growth,” the spokesperson added.