The single malt whisky was made from whisky distilled in 1958 at Takara Shuzo's Shirakawa plant in Fukushima Prefecture, making it among the oldest Japanese single malt whiskies still available. "Since it came with a high price tag, we never expected to reach the limited lot with such speed," said a company official, adding that there were no plans for an additional sale. When the Shirakawa plant closed in 2003, the whisky used in the latest product was moved in storage containers to Takara Shuzo's plant in Miyazaki Prefecture in southern Kyushu. Company officials were unable to say how long the whisky was aged in barrels. Tomatin Distillery Co. of Britain, which belongs to the Takara group, offered 1,500 bottles of the Shirakawa 1958 to a first come, first served global market from September. The 70 bottles sold online in Japan came from that lot.
