
Keanu Reeves Teams Up With The House Of Suntory To Release Two New Single Malts
Over three decades after starring in a Suntory Reserve commercial, the John Wick actor joins forces with director Sofia Coppola to mark the centennial of the Japanese whisky house.
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Heritage Japanese whisky brand House of Suntory is celebrating a milestone in the best way possible: with a short film directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola. Twenty years after filming Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola celebrates the House of Suntory’s 100th anniversary, as well as the spirit of Japan itself, in the Suntory Anniversary Tribute.
Starring John Wick actor Keanu Reeves—who previously appeared in a campaign for Suntory Reserve in 1992—the short film references Coppola’s seminal 2003 film, Lost in Translation, wherein Bill Murray plays an actor travelling to Japan to shoot a Suntory Time commercial. The short film honours the past and present of the House of Suntory, and is laden with archival footage of notable campaigns, commercials, and pop culture moments over the past century.
Later this year, Reeves will also appear in another Coppola-directed creative project with the House of Suntory. This time, filmmaker Roman Coppola takes the lead with a docuseries, The Nature and Spirit of Japan, which explores Japanese whisky culture and craftsmanship and its inextricable link with nature.
“I’m honoured to partner with Suntory Whisky again thirty years after our Suntory Reserve campaign,” said Keanu Reeves. “I’m a huge fan of Suntory Whisky, so it’s very special to collaborate in honour of this milestone anniversary. My admiration for the whisky goes beyond tasting the whisky. It is the elevated Japanese craftsmanship and attention to every detail that makes Suntory Whisky so special. As an actor honing and perfecting my own craft, sharing this process in a docuseries is a thrill.”
Naturally, the anniversary celebrations wouldn’t be complete without a covetable single malt—or two. House of Suntory is releasing several limited-edition whiskies; among them, a Yamazaki 18-Year-Old Mizunara and a Hakushu 18-Year-Old Peated Malt. The former is matured entirely in Japanese mizunara oak, and features subtle spices, rich fruits, and a hint of incense on the palette.
Meanwhile, the Hakushu 18-Year-Old Peated Malt is a multi-cask varietal intended to showcase the peated barley used. An elegant expression, it has a complex palette with smoky notes making way for layers of herbal, grapefruit, and honeyed notes with a touch of salinity.
“Hakushu and Yamazaki whiskies are gifts from our past handed down by generations,” said chief blender Shinji Fukuyo. “It is fitting to release limited editions as part of this incredible milestone, as they represent our relentless pursuit of quality and symbolize our promise to carry our philosophy on for the next one hundred years and beyond.”
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