Lot 0381388Auction ended
Hanyu 22 Years Old
SMWS 131.157.4%70 cl
About this bottle
This is the first release of Hanyu from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. From a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel aged 22 years. This is one of just 212 bottles and as usual from the SWMS bottled at natural cask strength.
Hanyu Distillery was founded in 1941 by Isouji Akuto, a descendant of a long line of sake producers. Located north-west of Tokyo in Saitama prefecture, Hanyu distillery was built in the city of the same name and is surrounded by vast rice fields supplied with river Tone water. In 1980 the distillery started the production of single malt whisky, with the purchase of two Scottish “pot stills”. But success is not to visit the distillery stops producing whisky in 2000, and have finally being destroyed in 2004. Remaining stocks previously stored on the site were recovered by Ichiro Akuto (grandson of the founder of Hanyu) assisted by a sake-maker Sasanokawa Shuzo and were kept there until 2008 when they were transferred to Chichibu, a new distillery founded by Ichiro Akuto.
Lot details
Specifications
- Distillery
- Hanyu
- Type
- Full Size
- Cask type
- 1st Fill Bourbon
- Bottle size
- 70 cl
- Strength
- 57.4%
- Shipping weight
- 2 kg
The loss of the Hanyu may have played a part in creating and establishing Chichibu, but we’ve only come to realise the loss of this distillery in recent times. Interestingly, we might be seeing a new Hanyu soon, much like Brora and Port Ellen being revived. A new project has been revealed and is currently seeking funding under the Hanyu name. This will be going so far as to recreate the original stills from existing blueprints. In 1946 the distillery was granted a license for making whisky but single malt wasn’t produced on-site until 1980. Even then, production only lasted 20 year and was shut down due to financial struggles and – believe it or not – the lack of popularity of Japanese whisky. Hanyu has endured thanks to various releases as Japanese whisky has been recognised around the world. Some of the most desirable whiskies come from Hanyu with its 54 bottle playing card series being seen as one of the most desirable and a full set recently fetching £755,000. The original Hanyu might be out of reach of most people but let’s hope for a successful resurrection.
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