Shirakawa 1958 Single Malt Whisky 70cl

Shirakawa 1958 Single Malt Whisky 70cl. The Shirakawa Distillery operated for nearly six and a half decades before being demolished in 2003. Whisky from Shirakawa was destined for use in blends, predominantly the ‘King’ Blended Whisky produced by owner Takara Shuzo Co Ltd, meaning that the vat of unblended 1958 whisky discovered in 2019 constitutes what can be considered as the only existing example of Shirakawa Single Malt on the planet.

The story of this momentous discovery starts at Tomatin Distillery in Scotland, which is owned by Takara Shuzo Co. Ltd, the same company which owned Shirakawa.
This where Tomatin managing director Stephen Bremner became interested with the history of Takara Shuzo’s whisky production, much of which was lost to time. Despite the limited available history Bremner interviewed former employees and scoured the globe for forgotten documents relating to Shirakawa. He eventually tracked down not just the history of the distillery but also one last remaining example of Single Malt, which he located at Kurokabegura, one of Takara Shuzo’s six production facilities in Japan in 2019.
Documentation confirmed that the whisky had been distilled in 1958, aged in Oak casks and then transferred into ceramic jars. These jars were later emptied into stainless steel tanks at Kurokabegura, where the whisky then rested, untouched for decades.
This expression is an incredibly rare and limited Single Malt and is believed to be the earliest known single vintage Japanese whisky ever bottled. It is the only official Single Malt ever to be released from Shirakawa Distillery.
The world’s rarest Japanese whisky ever bottled is distributed worldwide by Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd with a limited run of only 1500 bottles released with a 49%ABV. This particular bottle is 545.
Presented in a beautiful wooden display case this truely is the opportunity to own a part of Japanese whisky history.