Yamazaki 20yo “Sengu” Limited Release

Post by Stefan Van Eycken, Tokyo

It seems like it’ll be raining limited editions of Japanese whisky this fall. Kintetsu – a major railway / tourism / real estate / shipping company based in the Kansai area – has just announced it will be launching a special 20yo Yamazaki single malt on September 27th to celebrate the reconstruction ceremony (shikinen sengu) of the Ise shrine.

Ise shrine - Photo: Ajari (CC BY 2.0)

The Ise shrine, located in Mie prefecture, is the largest and most revered Shinto shrine in Japan. Every 20 years, the wooden sanctum is rebuilt – in exactly the same design and proportions – on a plot next to the old one, so the shrine moves alternately to the east and back to the west. The ceremony of ‘shikinen sengu’ (lit. shikinen = “a set number of years”, and sengu = “transferring the shrine”) has been conducted every 20 years for over 1,300 years. To add luster to this year’s ceremony, Kintetsu has commissioned Yamazaki to create a special whisky built around malt distilled in 1993, the year when the last ‘shikinen sengu’ was held.

Limited to 300 bottles (48% abv) with a retail price of 38,000 yen, the bottles will only be available in Kintetsu station shops and department stores. Those who just want a sip, can try it at Kintetsu-affiliated hotels and restaurants – all in the Kansai region. Nonjatta’s man in Kansai will be whiskyspotting on the Kintetsu lines as soon as this special whisky is released so check back with us in a few weeks for further details.

Read more about Yamazaki Distillery here.