Lucky Cat offers ‘Japan’s rarest whisky’ for £2,300 a dram
Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat restaurant in London could be one of the only venues where whisky fans can sample Shirakawa 1958 by the dram.
The liquid is described as ‘Japan’s rarest whisky’, originating from Japan’s lost distillery, Shirakawa, which was located in the Fukushima Prefecture, 200km north of Tokyo. It is the only official single malt ever to be released from the distillery.
The Shirakawa distillery operated for more than six decades but was demolished in 2003.
More than a decade later, Tomatin Distillery’s managing director Stephen Bremner decided to look deeper into Shirakawa and its owner, beverage company Takara Shuzo.
He discovered some Shirakawa stock at Takara Shuzo’s Kurokabegura distillery in 2019, which had been distilled in 1958.
The liquid was aged in casks before being transferred to ceramic jars at the distillery. When Shirakawa closed, the whisky was transferred to stainless steel tanks in Takara Shuzo’s factory in Kyushu, where it was forgotten about.
Bremner said: “Tomatin Distillery Co 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.”
While the age and cask type cannot be fully determined, Bremner notes that Shirakawa 1958 was crafted at a time when the distillery used predominantly Japanese malted barley and mizunara oak casks.
The expression, which has an ABV of 49%, was bottled by Takara Shuzo in Japan.
Just 1,500 bottles were released in 2022 and distributed by Tomatin Distillery, with an RRP of £25,000 (US$33,210) per 700ml bottle.
Lucky Cat’s bottle of Shirakawa 1958 recently featured in Being Gordon Ramsay, the six-part documentary on the chef created by Netflix. In the series, the construction team express their fears about the whisky’s shelf being knocked down.
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