World’s Oldest Japanese Whisky to be Served at Portland Event — and Tickets Cost $7,000

The Yamazaki 55 Year is considered the oldest expression of Japanese Whisky in the world (Photo: House of Suntory)

An ultra-rare expression of Yamazaki 55 Year Old will be opened at a two-day event over the course of July 21-22 at the Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland, Oregon.

Yamazaki 55 Year was released in 2020 and is an incredibly rare expression of single-malt whisky. Just 100 bottles were made of this 55-year-old single malt and only 20 made their way to the U.S.

Even fewer made it to the West Coast.

According to Forbes, the Yamazaki 55 Year Old contains whisky from the 1960s that was crafted under the supervision of the distillery’s founder Shinjiro Torii.

The whiskies were subsequently aged in Mizunara casks under his watchful eye. The spirit continued to age in White Oak casks under the distillery’s second Master Blender, Keizo Saji.

Shinji Fukuyo worked with third-generation Master Blender Shingo Torii to blend the spirit prior to its release, according to the brand.

The Yamazaki 55 Year Old holds the title of the oldest Japanese whisky in the world.

The special release bottle from the Beam Suntory-owned brand has been known to fetch exorbitantly high prices and sold for more than $500,000 at a Duty-Free Airport shop in Turkey during December of 2022.

There have been a series of opening parties for this rare expression in major cities like Los Angeles and New York in the past, and now Portland gets to host an event of its own.

The two-day celebration of the expression in Portland involves a deep dive into the world of Japanese whisky and Japanese gardening.

Several high-profile figures in the whisky and beverage space will be in attendance including House of Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo and Jim Meehan, a mixologist and James Beard award-winning author.

A welcome dinner will take place including the guests of honor in the Japanese Garden and guests will be able to enjoy vertical tastings of rare expressions of Yamazaki whiskies, including the 55-year-old expression.

The tickets cost $7,000 and can be accessed here.

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