A two-day event, July 21-22, will see the one of the world’s rarest Japanese whiskies, a Yamazaki 55 Year Old, be opened in Portland, Oregon at the Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library.
A statement from the city’s renowned social club and bar explained how this occasion came to be.
In June of 2020, Yamazaki released 100 bottles of their 55-year old single malt, distilled in 1960. Of those 100 bottles, 20 made it to the United States, and a few made it to the West Coast. One of those to the Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library.
Interestingly, a portrait of Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii hangs on the wall in the Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library, part of the fabric of the place. The Library’s operators knew that when they acquired the rare bottle, they had a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share it with the world in a unique way.”
There were opening parties in LA and New York for the Yamazaki 55, and it was decided that Portland would get a chance to taste the spirit.
The organizers of the two-day event say this is possible thanks to a years-long friendship between the Library and the world-renowned Portland Japanese Garden. That relationship fostered cultural exchange and promoted the excellence of craft, along with a passion for art forms that stand the nature of time.
The Yamazaki 55 two-day celebration in Portland, slated for July 21-22, will be for those who love the worlds of spirits, culture, and art.
They will dive deep into the context of Japanese whisky, surrounded by the art of Japanese Gardening, alongside international luminaries like House of Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo; David Broom, international whisky writer; Marybeth Boller, chef and culinary diplomat; Jim Meehan, writer, mixologist, and James Beard award-winning author; as well as the Library’s own roster of culinary and beverage talent.
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The celebration includes a welcome dinner with the guests of honor at the Japanese Garden, vertical tastings of other hard-to-find Yamazaki whiskies with discussions led by Mr. Fukuyo, coursed pairings dinners, and more.
You can find out more information on the event and tickets at www.mwlpdx.com/event/yamazaki-55.
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