Whiskies from Karuizawa

DistilleryName Vintage l. SVA
Serge Valentin is one of the most prolific whisky aficionados and the premier source of whisky reviews. Serge uses the 100 point scale for his ratings.
GGR
Gal Granov is considered one of the most proactive of all independent whisky bloggers at this moment, a rising star in the whisky scene. Gal uses a 100 point scale for his ratings.
Other
BOW
We rate most of the whiskies ourselves and use the 100 point scale. If we do not have a rating, we publish ratings of other renowned whisky critics in this column.
#
Number of bottles in stock
Price (incl. VAT)
Karuizawa • 1967 Vintage Single Cask 6426 La Maison Du Whisky 58.4% 1967 0,70 95 94 95 1 € 27.999,95 € 33.879,94
Karuizawa • Geisha labels Cask 6256 57.5% 1981 0,70 90 90 92 1 € 12.396,69 € 14.999,99
Karuizawa • 31 Years Old Sapphire Geisha Cask 3558 58.9% NV 0,70 87 94 1 € 19.300,00 € 23.353,00
Karuizawa • Spirit of Asama 48% NV 0,70 87 88 1 € 2.925,00 € 3.539,25
Karuizawa • 42 Years Old 1968 Vintage Single Cask Malt Whisky 6955 61.1% 1968 0,70 92 1 € 17.020,55 € 20.594,87
Karuizawa • 23 Years Old The Crowning Cask 5038 69% 1995 0,70 93 1 € 6.500,00 € 7.865,00
Karuizawa • 22 Years Old SMWS 132.2 62.4% 1991 0,70 90 1 € 8.262,81 € 9.998,00
Karuizawa • 1981 Geisha Label 31 Years Old Cask 2100 60.4% (Parafilm added to protect its original plastic wraping) 1981 0,70 91.5 1 € 8.500,00 € 10.285,00
Karuizawa • Time Slip Karuizawa x Kawasaki Ghost Series No.7 Cask 6432 43% 1970's 0,70 92 1 € 4.958,68 € 6.000,00
Karuizawa • 32 Years Old Noh Whisky Cask 3565 59.2% 1980 0,70 91 1 € 23.000,00 € 27.830,00
Karuizawa • Artist #13 Cask 877 for La Maison du Whisky 60% 1999 0,70 91 90 1 € 3.057,85 € 3.700,00
Karuizawa • 1984 28 Year Old Cocktail Serie Cask 7975 59.3% (Box slightly dented) 1984 0,70 91 91 1 € 4.958,68 € 6.000,00
Karuizawa • Spirit Safe Edition Cask 3206 60.8% (Lower Filling, dented box) 1991 0,70 90 1 € 3.304,96 € 3.999,00

Karuizawa

The Karuizawa Distillery was one of Japan’s most small-scaled operating distilleries, operated for less than half a century and it has remained dormant since the early 21st century. Despite this, Karuizawa Single Malt Whisky is the most sought-after single malt in Japan and one of the most international desired whiskies due to the spirit’s high quality and exceptional rareness, such as the Karuizawa 1960 Single Cask No. #5627, which is probably the most rare and expensive Japanese whisky sold on the market.

 

Karuizawa was established in shadows of the active volcano Mount Asama in the former Asama Vineyard in 1955 by the Mercian Wine Company (currently known as the Mercian Corporation), a Japanese retailer of wine, liquors and distilled spirits. The distillery was named after the adjacent city of Karuizawa, the home base of a mountain ski-resort very popular among the Japanese upper class.

 

Having the Karuizawa Distillery established, the Mercian Wine Company realized their ambition to create a single malt whisky following the traditional distiller methods used in Scotland yet combined with a representative Japanese twist. In order to achieve this, both the distillery’s equipment and the climatic circumstances under which the spirit’s maturing process took place had to be predominantly similar to those in Scotland. Karuizawa was built in the city of Mitoya, the Nagano Prefecture in Japan because of the region’s similarity in climatic temperatures to those in Scotland, even though Mitoya’s seasonal fluctuations were more contrasting at its peak during summer- and wintertime. Karuizawa has used small wooden washbacks for the fermentation and imported sherry casks from Spain to provide for the spirits aging process. Karuizawa Single Malt is definitely comparable to the style of the traditional Scotch single malt whisky, bus has maintained a distinctive Japanese whisky in its taste!

 

Until the year 1958, Japan’s importing restrictions and legislation didn’t allow the import of Scottish barley needed for the spirit’s production. The distilleries in Japan were obligated to buy the required, but scarce Japanese barley supplied by the Japanese government, this was a mandatory regulation. In 1958, import restrictions were lifted. Karuizawa started right away to import the higher-quality Golden Promise barley from Scotland. By making this strategic decision, it was the first Japanese distillery to import this necessity for the production process.  Besides that, Karuizawa was the first Japanese distillery to export its whiskies across the border.

 

In that era, the international demand for Japanese whiskies wasn’t as substantial as desired sales wise. The high quality of the Karuizawa whiskies remained unknown to the general public and the expenses of producing Karuizawa Single Malt unfortunately didn’t meet the beneficial profits resulting from the distillery's sales. Karuizawa was mothballed in the year 2000 and ultimately shut down in 2011, resulting in the distillery’s premises to be dismantled and the distillery’s equipment to be sold. Most of Karuizawa’s equipment was sold to the Japanese independent bottler Gaiaflow, and the Kruizawa’s wooden casks were acquired by the Chichibu Distillery.

 

Remarkably enough, the following years the world became more and more appreciative with the Japanese whisky selection. Being such a high-class and limited released Japanese single malt, with only a few casks left in stock to release, Karuizawa has acquired a cult status. Until this day on, obtaining one of those rare vintage Karuizawa Single Malts is just something whisky collectors can only dream about.

 

Mark Watt, the general manager of independent bottler Cadenhead once said: “You want to sell your whisky? Then you should close your distillery”. Maybe, as far as the Karuizawa Distillery’s legacy is concerned, this is a nostalgic true story.

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Karuizawa


DistilleryName Vintage l. SVA
Serge Valentin is one of the most prolific whisky aficionados and the premier source of whisky reviews. Serge uses the 100 point scale for his ratings.
GGR
Gal Granov is considered one of the most proactive of all independent whisky bloggers at this moment, a rising star in the whisky scene. Gal uses a 100 point scale for his ratings.
Other
BOW
We rate most of the whiskies ourselves and use the 100 point scale. If we do not have a rating, we publish ratings of other renowned whisky critics in this column.
#
Number of bottles in stock
Price (incl. VAT)
Karuizawa • 1967 Vintage Single Cask 6426 The whisky Exchange 58.4% 1967 0,70 95 95 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 32 Years Old Noh Whisky Kamiasobi Hagoromo Cask 6719 63% 1976 0,70 94 92 94 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Ruby Geisha Full Set 34 & 38 Years Old NV 0,70 94 94 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 32 Years Old Noh Whisky Kamiasobi Hagoromo Cask:6719 63% 1976 0,70 94 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 28 Years Old Noh Whisky Chorei Beshimi Cask 7576 57.2% 1983 0,70 93 93 93 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 35 Years Old Vintage Cask 8383 1 Of 405 Bottles Bottled for La Maison du Whisky 63% (Box flap slightly damaged) 1978 0,70 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 33 Years Old Vintage Cask 152 54,5% 1981 0,70 92 93 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 35 Years Old Vintage Cask 8383 Bottled for La Maison du Whisky 63% 1978 0,70 92 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 30 years Old Vintage Single Cask 8173 58.5% (Slightly dented box, back label slighly damaged) 1984 0,70 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1984 Vintage Single Cask 8173 58.5% 1984 0,70 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1984 Carpe Koï Serie Cask:4021 64.5% 1984 0,70 92 90 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 27 Years Old Multi Vintages #1 Noh Whisky 59.1% NV 0,70 92 91 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1984 Vintage Single Cask: 8173 For La Maison du Whisky 1 Of 363 Bottles 58.5% 1984 0,70 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 35 Years Old Cask:6736 Bottled For Whisky Live Paris 2010 61.8% 1975 0,70 92 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Set 1980-1981 J'avance vers le futur, Pourquoi faut il?, Prendre le rythme,en Soi 1980-1981 0,70 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 27 Years Old Multi Vintages #1 Noh Whisky 59.1% NV 0,70 92 91 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 26 Years Old Vintage Single Cask 103 58.1% (Box flap slightly damaged) 1981 0,70 91 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 32 Years Old Noh Whisky Kamiasobi Shiroheita Cask 4592 60.7% 1977 0,70 91 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1982 27 Years Old Geisha label Cask 2748 56.1% 1982 0,70 91 90 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 36 Years Old Vintage Single Cask:6878 64.1% 1971 0,70 90 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1981 Geisha labels Cask 6256 57.5% 1981 0,70 90 90 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 28 Years Old Cask:3692 Bottled For Number One Drinks Company 61.6% 1984 0,75 89 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1984 28 Years Old Vintage Single Cask:3692 For Number One Drinks 1 Of 559 Bottles 61.6% 1981 0,70 89 92 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1985 Vintage Single Cask: 7017 60.8% 1985 0,70 88 94 89 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1981 Vintage Single Cask: 6207 58.3% 1981 0,70 87 89 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Great Cask Series Bottled for Whiskysite.nl 58.3% 1988 0,70 87 89 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Spirit of Asama 48% NV 0,70 87 88 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Spirit of Asama 48% NV 0,70 87 88 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Asama 1999/2000 46% 1999 0,70 87 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 19 Years Old The Whisky Fair 58.3% 1988 0,70 87 90 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Spirit of Asama (55%, OB, for Specialty Drinks, 2012) NV 0,70 85 82 87 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 39 Years Old Vintage Single Cask 6207 58.3% (Slighltly dented box) 1981 0,70 91 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1981 Cask 6056 Japanese Label 60.3% 1981 0,70 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • That Boutique-y Whisky Company Batch 3 50.1% NV 0,5 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Geisha Label Cask 7818 63.6% 1976 0,70 92 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1983 Cocktail Serie Cask 8597 62.1% 1983 0,70 91 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1988 Vintage Single Cask Malt Whisky Cask 3397 59.8% 1988 0,70 90 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 42 Years Old Vintage Cask 8183 For Number One Drinks 61,3% (Into Shoulder) 1969 0,70 90 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1999-2000 Vintages Cask Strength 4th Edition 60.1% 1999 0,70 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 17 Years Old Crystal Decanter 40% NV 0,70 87 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 12 Years Old Pure Malt Whisky 40% NV 0,70 86 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Miyaki Odori Geisha Label Single Sherry Cask 866 58.6% 1999 0,70 93 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 39 Years Old Vintage Single Cask 6207 58.3% (Slighltly dented box) 1981 0,70 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 32 Years Old Noh Whisky Cask 3565 59.2% 1980 0,70 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 15 years old 40% NV 0,70 85 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1983 Geisha Label 29 Years Old Cask 2233 59.4% 1983 0,70 91.5 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 1999-2000 Vintages Cask Strength 2th Edition 59.5% 1999 0,70 0 sold out
Karuizawa • 42 Years Old Vintage Cask 6177 64.3% 1970 0,70 92 92 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Asama 11 Years Old 46% NV 0,70 88 0 sold out
Karuizawa • Miyaki Odori Geisha Label 2219 59.8% 2000 0,70 0 sold out
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