Auction introduction: The Yamazaki 55 Year Old needs little introduction. It sits at the pinnacle of collectible Japanese Whisky as not only the oldest but also the most valuable bottle in the country’s history. 99 years ago, Shinjiro Torii opened The Yamazaki Distillery, Japan’s first ever Single Malt producer, on the outskirts of Kyoto. At this time nobody could have anticipated the quality of the whiskies Suntory would go on to produce, nor the values that their bottles would command at auction. Sotheby’s is pleased to dedicate a single lot sale to this truly magnificent achievement of Japanese whisky making.