1958 Shirakawa, Single Malt Whisky, Japan (49%)

“There are no known examples of Japanese Whisky claiming to be from a Single Vintage that predates Shirakawa 1958,” confirms Stefan van Eycken, the pre-eminent authority on Japanese whisky and distilling. “Even though Shirakawa Distillery was one of the pioneers of malt whisky making in Japan, the liquid was never officially available as a single malt. This limited 1,500-bottle release will see the Japanese Whisky category, one of the world’s most sought-after categories of spirit, continue to grow from strength to strength”.

Distilled in 1958, the liquid was aged in oak casks before being transferred into a ceramic pot until it was moved into stainless steel in 2003 when the distillery closed. The exact production details are unknown, but the whisky is from when the distillery used predominantly Japanese malted barley and Mizunara oak casks. The Shirakawa 1958 will be the only single malt ever released from the distillery and the oldest-vintaged single malt whisky from Japan ever bottled.

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