Bidding Now Open on Sotheby’s Sale of a
Bottle of Japan’s Oldest Whisky
NEW YORK, 9 JUNE 2022 – Bidding is now open on Sotheby’s single-lot sale of a bottle of Japan’s oldest whisky, namely the Yamazaki 55.
Estimated at $400,000-500,000, the Yamazaki 55 is the oldest and most valuable whisky ever bottled in Japan. Having been initially released in 2020 in Japan via ballot for only JP¥3.3 million (around $31,000) each, and internationally the following year in an extremely limited offering, bottles have since achieved six-figure prices at auction.
Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Head of Whisky, North America and EMEA, said: “A rise in whisky prices has led to new releases increasing in value, with Japanese whiskies among the most sought-after on the secondary market. Aged whiskies are now quite limited in Japan, so much so that Suntory’s aged statement brands have either been discontinued or are only released on highly limited allocation. The Yamazaki 55 is the preeminent whisky from this scarce supply, and it sits in a league of its own. An example of when price is matched not just by rarity, but by quality, this whisky epitomises the key elements collectors search for in a collectible whisky: dark, heavily sherried whisky released in limited numbers with a very high-age statement.”
Japan’s love of whisky began in 1853, when a US naval officer named Matthew C. Perry arrived on Japanese shores towards the end of the Edo period. The Tokugawa Shogunate enforced a strict rule of isolation, meaning that no Japanese nationals could leave and no foreign visitors could enter. Commodore Perry brought peace offerings – namely a white flag and a barrel of American whiskey (presumably rye) – and the Shogunate was wooed by his approach to negotiation. As laws concerning isolation relaxed, whisky imports began. This dark spirit enchanted the Japanese palate and encouraged local brewers and distillers to re-create the foreign elixir.
The genesis of whisky distillation in Japan can be largely attributed to two men: Shinjiro Torii, an Osaka-born apprentice pharmacist and wine merchant, who began his journey into spirits with his blend Torys Whisky in 1919; and Masataka Taketsuru, the son of a sake brewer in Hiroshima, who was equipped with the Scottish know-how for distillation following a three-year sojourn in Scotland, where he studied chemistry at Glasgow University and worked at Longmorn, Bo’ness and Hazelburn Distilleries.
Three years after returning to Japan with his wife, and a journal entitled “Report of Apprenticeship: Pot Still Whisky” – which would become the ultimate manual for Japanese whisky-making – Taketsuru entered Shinjiro Torii’s employ as the whisky-maker at Kotobukiya, now known as Suntory. After a hunt for a perfect location for their distillery, they landed on the village of Yamazaki on the outskirts of Kyoto in 1923. And on 11 November 1924, the first spirit ran from their stills.
At this time nobody could have anticipated the quality of the whiskies that Japan’s first ever Single Malt distillery would go on to produce, nor the values that their bottles would command at auction.
The Yamazki 55 Year Old was vatted from Mizunara and American White Oak casks distilled by Shinjiro Torii in 1960 and 1964 respectively, and laid down over half a century ago for three generations, until current Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo, grandson of the founder, selected and blended these casks to create what is considered a true masterpiece in the world of whisky.
Housed in an immaculate black Mizunara box, reflecting the casks used to age this historic whisky, the bottle is wrapped in layers of ink-black handmade echizen washi paper and fastened with a plaited cord made up of 24 individual strands – the total sum of its packaging reflective of traditional Japanese crafts.
The Yamazaki 55 | Japan’s Oldest Whisky is open for bidding until 17 June. The sale of the Yamazaki 55 is just one of the standout offerings in Sotheby’s New York Luxury Week this June, a bi-annual multi-category auction series dedicated to the increasing trend of cross-collecting in the luxury categories. The series of nine auctions, encompassing Jewellery, Watches, Designer Handbags, Sneakers, Spirits and Wine, is expected to be one of the most valuable in New York to date.
About Sotheby’s Wine
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access, connoisseurship and preservation of fine art and rare objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 50 categories, which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Interiors, among many others.
Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide auction sales of wine and spirits hit a record $132 million in 2021, a 44% increase on 2020. Sotheby’s Wine currently holds the world records for any whisky collection ever sold at auction, any private wine collection ever sold at auction, the most valuable bottle of wine ever sold at auction and the most valuable bottle of spirits ever sold at auction.
In addition to auction, Sotheby’s Wine launched a retail business in 2010. With a retail store located in Sotheby’s New York headquarters and e-commerce at www.sothebyswine.com, Sotheby’s Wine offers a carefully curated selection of wines from the world’s most prestigious producers and important regions. Expertly assembled by our experienced specialists, the selection is built upon lasting relationships with winemakers from across the globe, with bottles that are ready for immediate consumption, in addition to investment-worthy wines from highly sought-after vintages. A second retail location opened in Sotheby’s Hong Kong galleries in 2014.
* Estimates do not include buyer’s premium or overhead premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and overhead premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.
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