Ao — meaning 'blue,' the colour of the world's oceans — is Suntory's statement of global ambition. It blends whiskies from five distilleries across three countries: Yamazaki and Hakushu (Japanese malt), Chita (Japanese grain), Ardmore (Scotch malt), and Jim Beam (American bourbon). The result is a world whisky in the literal sense — a blend that draws on the resources of the world's largest spirits company to create something that transcends national categories.
The blending is the achievement here. Chief blender Shinji Fukuyo has combined whiskies that could not be more different — the elegance of Japanese malt, the peaty assertiveness of Scotch, the sweet corn richness of bourbon — into a blend that is coherent and harmonious. No single element dominates; instead, each contributes a thread to a tapestry that is distinctly Suntory in its balance and precision.
Ao is an ambitious concept that mostly succeeds. The whisky is genuinely interesting — more complex and characterful than most blended whiskies at its price — and the idea of a global blend from specific named distilleries is compelling. Whether it justifies its premium over single-origin alternatives is a personal calculation. But as a demonstration of Suntory's blending expertise and global reach, Ao is a sophisticated and thought-provoking release.
