Suntory Pure Malt Whisky Tarudashi Genshu is called a "pure malt" but it is actually a Yamazaki single malt. The neck label says it is from 1993, which we believe means that it was distilled in that year. This whisky was obtained directly from the Yamazaki distillery. The name "Tarudashi Genshu" can be roughly translated as "straight from the cask". Yamazaki is Japan's oldest whisky distillery; opened in 1923, it was founded by Shinjiro Torii near Osaka. The location was chosen because of the excellent water supply in the area. This seems to have paid off, today single malts from the Yamazaki distillery have the largest market share of any single malt whiskies from Japan. The 18 year old Yamazaki Single Malt is thought by many to be the best whisky in the world and has won six consecutive double gold medals at the San Francisco Spirits Competitions between 2008 and 2013.