A special junmai daiginjo sake, "Link 8888," born from the collaboration between blended Scotch whisky Chivas Regal and Masuizumi, a renowned sake from Masuda Sake Brewery, will be released in limited quantities starting Monday, December 2, 2019.

Chivas Regal, with its distillery in Keith, Scotland, 8,888 kilometers away, and Masuizumi, with its brewery in Toyama City. Through the bond that transcends categories and cultures between these two brands, the special junmai daiginjo sake "Link 8888" was born.

The encounter between the two began when Hidetoshi Nakata, who promotes Japanese food culture and craftsmanship to the world, received the Business Innovation Cultural Division award for 2017 at a business award co-hosted by Chivas Regal and GOETHE magazine. Through Mr. Nakata, a relationship was formed between Ryuichiro Masuda, the fifth-generation president of Masuda Sake Brewery, and Chivas Regal, leading to the start of a project where they would partner.

The agreed-upon collaboration was an unprecedented endeavor: American oak casks, used for over 12 years to mature Chivas Regal's original spirit, were sent from Scotland to Japan, and several types of Masuizumi sake with distinct characteristics were aged in these casks. However, the strong friendship, built on mutual understanding of each other's countries and cultures, laid the foundation for the creation of this junmai daiginjo sake, "Link 8888."

"Link 8888" is a unique Japanese sake that incorporates Chivas Regal's DNA, the "Art of Blending," into its production process. It is a blend centered around a junmai daiginjo with a 35% rice-polishing ratio, matured in several different Chivas Regal casks and fermented with different yeasts. Its appearance is a clear liquid with high clarity and a faint yellowish hue. It has a medium body, with a fresh yet milky and creamy flavor coated in subtle oak and vanilla aromas from the oak casks, and a sweet taste reminiscent of honey with herbal notes. It is produced in a limited run of approximately 10,000 bottles and will be available nationwide starting Monday, December 2, 2019.