TOKYO – A new service launched by Kirin Brewery Co. lets customers purchase malt whisky at key life moments and age it for 20 years, offering tasting samples along the way to experience the flavor’s evolution.
The initial offering, launched June 6 on the crowdfunding platform Makuake, sold out the same day. The major Japanese brewer hopes to roll out the service on a larger scale next year.
The full package, priced at 110,000 yen ($745), ages whisky in barrels at a distillery in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, near Mt. Fuji. Customers receive six 100-milliliter samples over the years, with a final 700-milliliter bottle delivered after two decades.
Customers also have the option of enclosing a letter to their future selves or children, turning the experience into a time capsule.
“We hope people will enjoy the way whisky matures alongside their own lives and those of their families,” said Kyosuke Kojima, the 34-year-old Kirin Brewery employee behind the project.