YAMAZAKI 55

A TWO DAY CELEBRATION OF THE HOUSE OF SUNTORY AND YAMAZAKI JAPANESE WHISKY WITH SPECIAL GUEST MASTER BLENDER SHINJII FUKUYO OF HOUSE OF SUNTORY

Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime weekend long event, beginning at the Portland Japanese Gardens and ending with a peerless dining experience and a guided tasting of Yamazaki 55 – a whisky distilled in the ’60s under famed Japanese distiller Shinjiro Torii.

(Yamazaki 55 Raffle Tickets and Information Here)

-Program-

July 21st, 2023

“In Praise of Time” Celebrating a century of Japanese whisky at Portland Japanese Garden

Following a tour of the Portland Japanese Garden, guests will enjoy a guided tasting  celebrating the 100th anniversary of the House of  Suntory.  The evening’s flight will consist of Yamazaki 12yr, Hakushu 12yr, Yamazaki 18yr, Hakushu 18yr, Yamazaki 18yr Mizunara 100th anniversary edition and Hakushu 18y Peated Malt 100th anniversary eddition.  Discussions will be led by Shinjii Fukuyo, Master Blender for House of Suntory, Jim Meehan of Takibi, and Dave Broom renowned spirits writer and author of ‘The Way of Whisky’.  Dinner provided by Marybeth Boller

July 22nd, 2023

Yamazaki 55 and Dinner at Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library

Master Blender for House of Suntory Shinjii Fukuyo will lead guests through a tasting of the components that make up Yamazaki, followed by tastes of multiple age statements including the 12yr, 18yr and a 1 oz pour of Yamazaki 55.  Guests will be welcomed with a cocktail hour and light bites provided by Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library’s kitchen.  Following this once in a lifetime tasting, guests will be treated to a five-course dinner from local fine dining restaurant Tercet.

Tickets are $7000 per person and include entrance to all events.  Ticket holders also have the option to purchase a Companion Ticket to the MWL dinner on July 22nd for $500 (Companion Ticket does not include a pour of the Yamazaki 55; Companion Ticket includes all other pours, cocktails and dinner). To purchase a Companion ticket, first choose full-price ticket and add a Companion ticket at the bottom of checkout page.

Keep reading for more information on this special opportunity

In June of 2020, Yamazaki released 100 bottles of the oldest Japanese whiskey ever made – a 55-year old single malt distilled in 1960. Of those 100 bottles, 20 made it to the United States, a handful arrived on the West Coast, and one has been welcomed at the Multnomah Whiskey Library.

The story of Shinjiro Torii, whose portrait hangs on the wall in the Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library, and the building of the Yamazaki distillery 100 years ago in a misty valley between Mt.Tennozan and Mt. Otokoyama, where three pristine rivers converge, captures the imagination like none other.

When we heard about this bottle, and that one of the component whiskies was distilled under Shinjiro Torii himself, we knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to taste a bit of whisky lore. Now, we’ve decided to open and share this bottle with our members and friends right here in Portland at a weekend-long special event.

We are excited and honored to be celebrating this symbol of outstanding craftsmanship and history with the Portland Japanese Garden whose belief in the power of cultural exchange and in the excellence of craft has inspired peace and connection within our community for decades.