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Rare
Shirakawa 1958 Japanese single malt
whisky secures a place on the menu at
Gordon Ramsay’s recently launched Lucky
Cat restaurant at £2,300 per dram.
A rare Japanese
single malt whisky priced at £25,000 has
secured a place on the menu at Gordon
Ramsay’s recently launched Lucky Cat
restaurant, offering guests a chance to
experience a remarkable piece of whisky
history while highlighting Highland
distillery Tomatin’s role in
rediscovering this exceptional spirit.
Available at £2,300 per dram, Shirakawa
1958 is regarded as Japan’s rarest
whisky and stands as the most exclusive
spirit on offer at the Asian-inspired
Lucky Cat restaurant, which opened at 22
Bishopsgate in London last year.
The whisky also features prominently in
Being Gordon Ramsay, a six-part Netflix
documentary charting the chef’s journey
in bringing the new venue to life. In
one episode focused on Lucky Cat,
Shirakawa 1958 can be seen behind the
bar as the construction team discusses
concerns about the shelving in the busy
space.
Shirakawa 1958 originates from the
now-closed Shirakawa Distillery, located
around 200km north of Tokyo. It remains
the only official single malt ever
released from the distillery and is
believed to be the oldest single vintage
Japanese whisky ever bottled.
Established in Fukushima Prefecture in
1939, the Shirakawa Distillery operated
for over 60 years, producing malt whisky
between 1951 and 1969—making it one of
Japan’s earliest producers. Much of its
output went into Takara Shuzo’s flagship
‘King’ blended whisky.
The distillery was demolished in 2003,
seemingly bringing its story to an end.
However, more than a decade later,
Tomatin’s managing director Stephen
Bremner began investigating Takara
Shuzo’s whisky-making heritage.
His research led to the discovery of
remaining Shirakawa stock at Takara
Shuzo’s Kurokabegura distillery in 2019.
The spirit, originally distilled in
1958, had been aged in cask before being
transferred to ceramic jars. Following
the distillery’s closure, it was moved
into stainless steel tanks at Takara
Shuzo’s Kyushu facility, where it
remained untouched until its
rediscovery.
Stephen said: “Tomatin Distillery Co.
Ltd was bought by Takara Shuzo in 1986,
but it was only in recent years that I
became fascinated by the story of
Shirakawa and its history of whisky
production and embarked on a journey to
find out more.
“When I discovered that the last
remaining stock was distilled in 1958, I
was astounded. It was a genuine ‘wow’
moment as I realised very quickly that
what we were dealing with was extremely
rare.
“Crafted in the early days of malt
production in Japan, it has a
distinctive flavour profile, with aromas
of exotic incense giving way to grass
and fruits before a hint of mint on the
finish. It is truly extraordinary and
conveys the evolving character of
Japanese whisky, which is now acclaimed
worldwide.
“We are incredibly honoured that Gordon
Ramsay has selected Shirakawa 1958 as
the pinnacle of his whisky menu at Lucky
Cat. Diners who try it will be
transported back to a pioneering era of
Japanese whisky as they enjoy one of the
rarest drams in the world.”
Although precise details of its age and
cask maturation remain unclear,
Shirakawa 1958 was produced at a time
when the distillery primarily used
Japanese malted barley and Mizunara oak
casks.
Bottled at 49% ABV by Takara Shuzo Co
Ltd in Japan, just 1,500 bottles were
released globally in 2022 and
distributed by Tomatin Distillery, each
with a recommended retail price of
£25,000 per 70cl bottle.
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