Yamazaki 55 Years: Written in time, only the years can be tasted
On January 30, 2020, on the birthday of Nobujiro Torii, Suntory announced the launch of a new wine, Yamazaki 55 Year Old, which is also the oldest wine at Yamazaki Distillery to date, which was first launched in Japan and purchased by lottery, with a total of 100 bottles issued on June 30, 2020, with an official price of 3.3 million yen (including tax).
In the Bonhams Fine & Rare Wine and Whisky auction on August 21, 2020, the wine sold for HK$5 million, including a commission of HK$6.2 million (84,696,428 yen), a 25-fold increase from Yamazaki's 55-year official price of 3.3 million yen, which also set a new record for the auction price of a single bottle of Japanese whisky.
Recently, Suntory announced that Yamazaki 55 Year Old will be released in various international markets, which is a mixture of original sake distilled in 1960 matured in water frieze barrels and distilled in 1964 matured in white oak barrels, with a maturity of 55 years and an alcohol content of 46% ABV. It is said to have complex smells of agarwood and sandalwood, accompanied by a strong fruity taste that travels all the way to the taste buds.
Yamazaki 55 years old bottle is made of crystal material, and the bottle is engraved with yamazaki 55 year old wine label information, supplemented by Echizen and paper as the bottle seal. The box is made of water linden oak and the exterior is lacquered with a river lacquer unique to Japan.
Yamazaki 55 was launched by Suntory to celebrate the 2020 (32nd) Tokyo Summer Olympics in Japan, and the youngest of them was distilled in 1964 because the last time Tokyo, Japan hosted the Summer Olympics was in 1964 (the 18th Summer Olympics). Therefore, Yamazaki's 55th anniversary was actually to commemorate Japan's second time as a host country for the Summer Olympic Games after 55 years.
In keeping with its commitment to giving back to the community, Beam Suntory has drawn $5,000 each from 100 bottles of Yamazaki sold in Japan for 55 years, totaling $500,000 donated to The White Oak Initiative, a nonprofit organization that has long been sustainable in the White Oak Forest in the United States.
Mr. Shinji Fukugo, the fifth generation chief blender of Suntory, said: "Throughout the mixing process of the Yamazaki 55, I used the art of time and the beauty of the broken 'Wabi sabi' as the inspiration for the blending, and the Japanese believe that imperfection helps to ultimately lead to perfection. While I often think of other high-vintage whiskies as art, I think the Yamazaki 55 is more like a Buddha statue: calm and mysterious, and takes time to truly enjoy its inner beauty. ”
