Lovers of Japanese whisky have a new bottle to dream about. While most distilleries are discontinuing brands due to unprecedented demand, Suntory is releasing The Yamazaki 55 Years – the oldest whisky the company has ever sold. All you need to snag a bottle is a little bit of luck, and a spare ¥3,000,000 (about USD28,000).
The single malt whisky, matured in a mix of white and Mizunara oak casks since the 1960s, is described by Suntory’s chief blender as being ‘sweet and woody, with a mature, fruity aroma and long aftertaste,’ according to Reuters.
The release is carefully timed: the whisky was distilled before the previous Tokyo Olympics in 1964, and it will go on sale on June 30, just in time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Of course, you won’t find a strictly limited-edition whisky like this on sale at Liquor Mountain. To get your hands on a bottle – there are only 100 available – you need to enter a lottery via a special website for The Yamazaki 55 Years. Entry opens on February 5 at 9am and closes at 8:59am on February 14. The lottery is free to enter, but you’ll need a Japanese postal address for Suntory to send the whisky to. The lucky lottery winners are then given the chance to shell out a cool ¥3,000,000 (plus tax) for a bottle of the good stuff.
But it’s more than just the whisky. Each bottle will be personalised, with the buyer’s name printed on the label. It’s partly to add an extra special touch, and partly to discourage reselling, which Suntory has strictly, although perhaps optimistically, prohibited.
Not sure you’ve got the cash for a bottle of 55-year-old whisky? Check out these Tokyo bars and bottle shops to find some alternative, and more affordable, whiskies.