NEWS
JAPAN’S SUNTORY RELEASES 100 BOTTLES OF YAMAZAKI 55YO IN SELECT GLOBAL MARKETS AT USD60,000 EACH
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
13-9-2021
Source: Suntory
Japan’s drinks giant Suntory releases 100 bottles of Yamazaki 55 YO in select global markets this month making it the oldest Japanese whisky ever seen in global release.
The bottles will hit markets including USA, UK, Mainland China and Taiwan with a suggested retail price of USD60,000.
It's worth noted that a single bottle of Yamazaki 55 YO was sold for USD 795,000 at an auction in 2020.
The single malts used in the blend were distilled in 1960 under the supervision of Suntory’s founder Shinjiro Torii and aged in Mizunara casks; and in 1964 by Suntory’s Second Master Blender Keizo Saji and aged in White Oak casks.
The whisky was blended by Suntory’s 5th Master Blender Shinji Fukuyo who worked closely with 3rd Master Blender Shingo Torii to reveal the depth and complexity in this Yamazaki 55 YO.
Before this month's global launch, Suntory had initially released 100 bottles of Yamazaka 55 YO in Japan in 2020.
“Throughout the process of blending Yamazaki 55, I used as inspiration the passage of time and ‘Wabi-sabi’ – the Japanese belief that imperfections can help to ultimately contribute to perfection,” said Fukuyo.
“While I often view other extra aged whiskies as art, I consider Yamazaki 55 to be more like a Buddhist statue: calm and mysterious, requiring time to truly enjoy the inner beauty,” he added.
Yamazaki 55 YO is presented in a crystal bottle with the word “Yamazaki” carefully engraved in calligraphy using the technique of sandblasting and featuring real gold dust and lacquer on the age marking.
The bottle’s opening is wrapped in handmade Echizen washi paper and bound with a Kyo-kumihimo plaited cord, a traditional craft from Kyoto. Each bottle is delivered in a bespoke box made from native Japanese Mizunara wood and coated with Suruga lacquer.
Suntory will donate USD5,000 for every bottle released in this year’s 100-bottle collection, totalling USD500,000, to The White Oak Initiative, a group committed to the long-term sustainability of America’s white oak forests.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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