Karuizawa

Karuizawa lay in Nagano prefecture, in the highlands near the active volcano Mount Asama. It began making malt whisky in the mid 1950s and was later part of the Mercian wine company, which in turn came under Kirin. Production stopped around 2000 and the distillery was later dismantled, so every bottle on the market comes from a finite stock.

The distillery followed a traditional, Scottish-inspired approach, using imported malted barley, including Golden Promise, and small pot stills. Much of the spirit was filled into sherry casks, giving dark, rich, powerful whiskies, though bourbon cask bottlings also exist.

After the closure, the remaining casks were bought by the Number One Drinks Company, which released them as single casks and vintages. Well-known series include the Noh labels, the Geisha labels and the Cask Strength batches of 1999-2000 spirit, while Spirit of Asama was a vatting of younger casks. Very old vintages, such as 1965, sell at auction-level prices.

A smaller number of casks has also appeared from other bottlers, including That Boutique-y Whisky Company and Master of Malt. Buyers should expect high prices across the board and check provenance carefully, given how valuable these bottles have become.