One Of The Rarest Bourbons Ever Is Available At This New Luxury Hotel In Kyoto

Earlier this spring the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto swung open its doors to massive fanfare. The latest property to enter the formidable Japanese luxury lodging landscape checks so many boxes for discerning world travelers: it is a new offering from a beloved native brand – its first opening in 30 years. It is set within the heart of Gion, among the most alluring neighborhoods in all of Kyoto. And it occupies the faithfully preserved Yasaka Kaikan, a historic theatre and community hall originally built in 1936.

Indeed, there is ample space for praise within its five-star accommodations (about 540 square feet of it in an entry level room, to be exact) and plenty to justify its $1075-per-night starting rate. Especially if you’re a fan of unique food and beverage experiences. Across the property you’ll find an off-lobby pastry shop serving elevated renditions of classic Kyoto flavors; a kaiseki called Ren, which envisions Japan’s 24 solar terms through the lens of French fine dining; and on the top floor, the latest incarnation of the Old Imperial Bar – a tipple temple inspired by its original counterpart in Tokyo , designed in 1923 by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Each example exists as an ode to omotenashi , an all-encompassing style of hospitality that radiates within the finest of Japanese establishments. At the bar you can pair this warmth with whiskey. And while you might be expecting a lofty drinks palace in Kyoto to specialize in native expressions of the juice, Old Imperial’s most singularly exceptional pour is actually a bourbon: Yamazakura American Style Whisky from Wako . It is a bottle so obscure that it remains unknown to even the most ardent of category enthusiasts. Forgivably so.

You see, only 50 bottles of this liquid were ever produced. They came to market in late 2024 courtesy of Ginza Wako , which isn’t a distillery but a premium luxury specialty retailer in Tokyo. It would be almost as if Saks Fifth Avenue released its own spirit. Only the spirit in question here is over 50 years old. Typically, that wouldn’t be a good thing for a Kentucky bourbon. Sizable temperature swings from season to season do not accommodate lengthy aging.

But the Yamazakura comes from a barrel that was merely birthed in Kentucky. Several years after its initial distillation, the whiskey was exported to the Asaka Distillery in Koriyama, Japan. Under the shadow of Mount Asaka it mellowed. Leveraging the crisp, consistently cool environs in this northerly part of Honshu, it accumulated four more decades of steady wisdom, in oak form.

When it was finally transitioned to bottle, what poured out was singularly sublime: a vibrant vanilla-bomb, nosing with nutmeg and baking spice, exuding leathery rancio tones from its firm finish. It was eventually packaged in a hexagonal decanter conceived by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. It was he who initially suggested the project to Wako after happening upon the cask, which he calls a “miracle.” He’s not overstating it, even in cooler climes, pulling juice this vibrant from a cask this old is by no means a common occurrence.

Tasting it could be, however, if you become a regular at the Old Imperial Bar in Kyoto. The staff here has only recently cracked open its golden wax seal. They’re offering it for around $300 per 25ml pour. It’s a reasonable rate for half-century old whiskey you might never see again anywhere else.

Though if anyone could help you track down a full bottle of the Yamazakura, it would be the concierge team at Old Imperial, Kyoto. They are a force to be reckoned with, securing omakase experiences and Geiko/Maiko cultural excursions for guests that would never otherwise be available to outsiders. When it comes to the whiskey, it has long since sold out at Ginza Wako. But with enough diligence a decanter could still be unearthed on secondary markets. Pricing would surely be in the tens of thousands.

Of course, Kyoto’s Old Imperial Bar also caters to heightened tastes in ways which aren’t nearly as exorbitant. Its signature cocktail is the Mt. Hiei, a gin and matcha-based preparation named after the sacred 2,782-foot peak that’s visible behind the backbar. Bring the herbal, slightly saccharine drink up to the rooftop and pair it with the panorama. Not just the mountain hovering in the distance, but the countless teahouses, temples, and gazebos lining the streets of Gion and Higashiyama, seven stories below.

It is a scene as precious as the rarest of bourbons. And the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto offers you real estate in the center of it all.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com