Meet The World’s Oldest Japanese Whisky: Yamazaki 55

Meet The World’s Oldest Japanese Whisky: Yamazaki 55

Yamazaki 55 is the world's oldest Japanese whisky—and there are only 100 bottles of it to go around.

Last year, in the early months of 2020, right before the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City with everything it’s got, Beam Suntory announced that it was going to release a phenomenal expression in the middle of the year: A Yamazaki 55 at 46% ABV, which is the oldest Japanese whisky to ever hit the market. Unfortunately, that “advance reveal” was only intended for residents of Japan, and only 100 bottles were produced, complete with engraved calligraphy making use of sandblasting techniques, featuring genuine gold dust, and real lacquer—all of which were available only by way of lottery for the nifty sum of $27,000 (or three million yen). That initial rollout ensured that true Yamazaki enthusiasts from Japan had a fighting chance to get their hands on the precious liquid created in their Motherland. The distillery even stated that each winner would have their names engraved on their bottles to discourage secondary market sales.