When one massive drinks company owns many different distilleries and brands, the cross-collaboration options are endless. And if the aforementioned distilleries and brands are very well regarded, even better. That is certainly the case when it comes to Suntory Global Spirits. A member of its portfolio, El Tesoro, just dropped its latest cask-finished tequila release, and this time those barrels came from the famous Yamazaki distillery in Japan.

The Mundial Collection launched in 2021 with the Laphroaig Edition, an añejo tequila aged for a year in barrels previously used to mature the peated scotch from that Islay distillery, which is also part of the Suntory Global Spirits family (there were actually two different versions of this release, one of which was a single barrel expression). A pair of tequilas followed that one—an añejo aged in Knob Creek rye whiskey barrels, and a reposado aged in Basil Hayden Toast barrels. The latter was probably the weakest in the series, but the new El Tesoro Mundial: Yamazaki Edition is an indisputable return to form.

This tequila is the the first collaboration between El Tesoro and the House of Suntory, a pairing that was only a matter of time, bringing together Carlos and Jenny Camarena (the former and current El Tesoro master distillers) and House of Suntory’s fifth-generation chief blender Shinji Fukuyo. “Our Mundial Collection is one of the most exciting projects at La Alteña [the El Tesoro distillery],” said Jenny Camarena in a statement. “Each time we release a new one, we show another way tequila can take the shape of something new that can express ideas and flavors one would never expect.”

This new tequila was aged for 12 months in Yamazaki 12-year-old casks, specifically sherry and red wine barrels previously used to mature the whisky (the distillery ages its single malt in a variety of other casks as well). The result is a spectacular tequila that is one of the best of the year, with notes of
ginger, milk and dark chocolate, raisin, blueberry, and pepper on the palate, all of which do not obscure the core grassy notes and flavors of cooked agave. It was bottled at cask strength of 42 percent ABV or 84 proof, a bit higher than the 80 proof at which the core expressions are bottled.

No word as to what might come next in the Mundial Collection, but there are still many brands and distilleries to choose from within the Suntory family—Bowmore, Maker’s Mark, and Cruzan, to name just a few. And it should be noted that this comes on the heels of the new Booker’s Reserves, the first tequila cask finish for both that brand and Beam that was aged in El Tesoro 85th Anniversary casks which were previously used to mature Booker’s 30th Anniversary bourbon. El Tesoro Mundial: Yamazaki Edition (SPR $200) is available now at liquor stores and websites like Total Wine.