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Yamazaki 55 Year Old Heading To Auction This Month In Hong Kong

Earlier this year Beam-Suntory released through a lottery system a Yamazaki 55 Year Old Japanese whisky. Available only in Japan, just 100 bottles were put forth, each with a price tag of around $27,550 USD. One of these bottles has now found its way on to the auction circuit, with auction house Bonhams planning for its sale later this month.

This Yamazaki 55 Year Old, according to those behind it, is believed to be capable of drawing upwards of $100,000 USD in bidding. It could, of course, go much higher as many Japanese whiskies this rare do at such high profile auctions as this. Or it could, as was recently seen at one such auction, get no bids at all or go for a much lower price.

Yamazaki 55 Year Old
Yamazaki 55 Year Old (image via Suntory)

“We are thrilled to be the first international auction house to offer this historic and extremely popular bottle to the worldwide audience,” said Daniel Lam, Bonhams’ Director of Wine & Spirits, Asia, in a prepared statement, “which already has a strong appetite for the finest Japanese whisky. One of only 100 that were produced, this amber joy by one of the most prestigious whisky distilleries is as rare as its quality is unmatched.”

This whisky, for those not familiar with it, is one of the oldest and rarest Japanese whiskies ever released. It, noted the auction house, “was matured in both Japanese Mizunara oak cask from 1960 and white oak cask from 1964, the year of the previous Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Distilled to 46% ABV, it has a deep reddish amber colour with a complex agarwood and sandalwood nose, rich in fruity scents with a sweet aftertaste.

“The gold-dusted bottle is housed in a black Mizunara oak box with Suruga lacquer. The bottle mouth is wrapped in handmade Echizen Washi and tied with a traditional Kyoto braided cord.”

Plans call for this Fine & Rare Wine and Whisky auction from Bonhams to happen in Hong Kong on August 21st. There are a range of other bottlings up for consideration as well, such as a Saburomaru 1960 Japanese whisky that’s 55 year old. This, along with the Yamazaki 55 Year Old, are the two oldest Japanese whiskies currently available to the market.

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