【Only 120 Bottles】 Private Whisky Now Available!

AFAF Private Bottle Vol. 2
Takami Sakurai × Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Launched in 2024 as a special project, the AFAF Private Bottle Series aims to deliver a multi-layered artistic experience by fusing art and whisky.
For its second edition, the label features Hand (Japanese Landscape) (1957), a work by Takami Sakurai, a key member of the postwar avant-garde movement Kyushu-ha and widely recognized for his distinctive painting style. The bottling is a blended malt Scotch whisky distilled in 2002 and aged for 21 years (#47, 46.1% ABV).
With notes reminiscent of dry earth, wood spice, and brown sugar, this distinctive bottle offers both power and depth of flavor.
The Private Bottle will be available in limited quantities at the “Art Bar” inside AFAF2025, as well as online. The featured artwork on the label will also be on view at Booth C01, Kyushu Art Foundation Inc..
Savor a truly special moment where art and whisky come together in perfect harmony.

◆ Product Details
• Year of Distillation: 2002
• Year of Bottling: 2024
• ABV: 46.1%
• Bottles Produced: 120
• Cask Type: Blended Malt
• Price: ¥14,960 (incl. tax)

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Private Bottle | Takami Sakurai “Hand (Japanese Landscape)” (1957)
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky #47 | Distilled 2002 | Aged 21 Years | 46.1% ABV

In collaboration with:
Kyushu Art Foundation Inc., Whisky Talk Fukuoka, Kyoto Fine Wine and Spirits Co., Ltd.

◆ Reason for Selecting This Whisky (Comment by Selector Mr. Higuchi)

“In choosing Takami Sakurai’s work Hand (Japanese Landscape)—a seminal piece by a core member of the Kyushu-ha—for the label, I felt that a blended malt would be most fitting. Rather than a single malt, the combination of distinctive single malts allowed us to create a whisky with a truly unique character.
The final selection is not a delicate or light whisky, but one with bold personality, carrying flavors reminiscent of dry earth, wood spice, and the rich sweetness of brown sugar. What is especially noteworthy is how its depth unfolds when enjoyed on the rocks, revealing a different dimension than when tasted neat.
I recommend first savoring it straight to appreciate the aroma and finish, and then adding ice to experience its remarkable transformation.”

◆ About the Artist
Takami SAKURAI (1928–2016)
Born in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture. After graduating from Fukuoka Gakugei University (now Fukuoka University of Education), he worked at the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun, where he was also active in the company’s labor union movement. While contributing poetry to the literary magazine Shika, he taught himself painting. In 1955, his work was selected for the 40th Nika Exhibition.
In 1956, Sakurai met Osamu Ochi, and the following year co-founded the avant-garde group Kyushu-ha (The Kyushu School). In addition to organizing and participating in numerous Kyushu-ha exhibitions, he also presented works at the Yomiuri Independent Exhibition. As the de facto leader of Kyushu-ha, he played a central role in steering the group’s activities.
In 1965, he moved to the United States, where he was active in San Francisco and promoted the idea of a “San Francisco Kyushu-ha.” After briefly returning to Japan, he relocated again in 1970, establishing the Konnyaku Commune there. In 1973, he moved to Paris, France.
Major later exhibitions include Kyushu-ha: Anti-Art Project (Fukuoka Art Museum, 1988), for which he also organized the open submission section, and Traces: Body and Thought in Postwar Japanese Art (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, 2004).

◆ Related Exhibition
C01 Kyushu Art Foundation Inc. – “Enduring Spirits: The Artists of the Kyushu-ha”