When you think about whisky, it’s not just about the liquid inside the bottle. It’s the story that the whisky tells. A great whisky blurs the line between spirit and art, transforming the expression into a masterpiece. This month, we’re delighted to unveil a magnificent collaboration that pushes Japanese Whisky one step further. A collection that is unlike any other.
Celebrating the code of the Samurai and Japan’s martial history by depicting courage, honor and discipline — this collection is inspired by the greatest values in Japanese culture. Working with prominent Karuizawa based artist, David Stanley Hewett, and a number of expert craftspeople from across Japan, this outstanding and exceedingly rare Karuizawa Single Malt Whisky is presented like nothing that has come before, or will ever be seen again.
Housed inside a Wajima Lacquerware cabinet, featuring 24 carat gold leaf layering, and world class bottle art from David Hewett, this limited edition collection pairs the most sought after whisky and art from Japan and does so in real style, resulting in a once in a lifetime collectible.
In order to breathe life into such an iconic collection, it was imperative to select a whisky that would turn heads. The spirit needed to showcase the superb craftsmanship of Japanese distillers that have put the industry on the map. In the mind of any enthusiast this left only one choice, a single malt from the legendary Karuizawa Distillery.
Karuizawa was a distillery that was before it’s time, producing single malt whisky before people had acquired a taste for the liquid that is now adored by fans around the globe. With the original distillery being shut down in 2011, the limited amount of liquid that remains from those original stills has become highly sought after by collectors and aficionados in every corner of the world.
When it comes to whisky, this is one of the best of all time. Karuizawa is a whisky synonymous with quality, luxury and rarity. It’s considered the gold standard of Japanese Whisky and the whisky in these bottles is some of the best the distillery has ever produced. For this collection, a 1999-2000 vintage Karuizawa Single Malt Whisky was selected. This is some of the rarest liquid on the planet today and extremely desirable thanks to its exceptional quality and limited availability.
The Master Distillers at Karuizawa were experts at creating rich, full-bodied liquid that exhibits a unique range of tasting notes not often found in other whiskies. Their work with sherry wood is widely regarded as masterful and many distilleries around the world look to Karuizawa as a benchmark for how to mature whisky using ex-sherry butts.
Karuizawa based artist, David Stanley Hewett is one of the most famous foreign-artists working in Japan today. Hewett has been in Japan for 30 years and has trained under Japanese master potters, screen makers and painters. Hewett is most well-known for his paintings using gold leaf.
Hewett has painted the ceilings of ancient Shinto Shrines and completed works for the US embassy in Tokyo, The Ritz Carlton, the Peninsula Hotel, The Okura Hotel and many public and private collections around the world.
In 2018, Hewett’s painting: ‘Majime’ was given by the First Lady of Japan as a state gift from Japan to the United States to the visiting First Lady of the United States and the painting is now housed in the US National Archives in Washington.
Hewett began Karate when he was 14 and is the recipient of the Honor Graduate Medal from the United States Marines. Hewett’s experience as a Marine and his study of Japanese History at Hokkaido University inspired his famous series of paintings known as the ‘Bushido Series’. This series honors the code of Japanese Samurai and is focused on themes of courage, honor and discipline.
“In designing the Acclaim Whisky Stage I wanted to create a celebration by bringing together references from Japanese history, craftsmanship and artistic traditions.
I designed the bottles in the shape of Samurai with strong shoulders and a powerful posture. I carefully designed the bottle mold with the craftsmen at Sakai Glass in Japan who have been making bespoke glassware since 1906. The backdrop to the stage is lined with pure gold leaf from Kanazawa. The stage is really a 3D version of my Bushido Series of paintings. The Red represents passion, the black ‘swoosh’ represents the instant that character is revealed through action and the gold, the elegance of a Samurai’s discipline, daily rituals and humility.
The Acclaim Stage project has been a year-long journey taking me to the beautiful coastline of Wajima to spend time with the Taya family and the lacquer artisans and to Kanazawa to spend time with the gold leaf makers. We sourced the hinges for the stage in Niigata and the lids were handmade with great care. I am forever grateful to the wonderful team at dekanta for continuing to support artists and craftspeople in Japan through their global offerings of Karuizawa Whisky.
I hope the Acclaim Stage will become a part of your art collection and you will be inspired to visit Japan one day.”
– David Stanley Hewett – Karuizawa Studio
For Acclaim, dekantā and Hewett partnered with the craftspeople at the Taya Lacquer Studio in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. The Taya Studio dates back over 200 years to 1818 when Taya Kihei began his craftsmanship of Wajimanuri.
Each stage was meticulously designed by Hewett in his Karuizawa Studio and the lacquer was applied in the Taya studio over the course of 8 months. The incredible craftsmanship of the Taya Studio artisans is apparent in every detail of the Acclaim Whisky Stage, from the lacquer application to the fittings to the hand-painted crests.
The door fittings were created to replicate those from old Shinto shrines, adding a unique level of elegance and spirituality to the entire collection, while the crests have significant meaning to both the artist and the craftspeople behind the set.
The Acclaim stage and the whisky itself were just two of the three key elements of this outstanding collection. Hewett knew that in order to create something that will be remembered for a lifetime, the bottles would have to be just as beautiful as everything else. To do this, Hewett commissioned an expert glassware maker in Japan to create bespoke bottles based on the traditional men’s Kimono. He then applied his world class artwork to each bottle, before fitting them with handmade, lacquered stoppers that feature the Hewett family crest.
The crest derives from the Hewett Family of Normandy, France. The three owls represent intelligence and cunning and the chevron is a reference to military prowess. When Hewett decided to marry in Japan and was making his formal Kimono for the ceremony, he decided to make his own Japanese Kamon or ‘Japanese family crest’ by using elements of his family’s European crest. It is this that is displayed prominently on top of the stoppers.
The three circles represent the owls and Hewett, as a former United States Marine, decided to add one chevron and reverse it to bring balance and a sense of peace to offset the military meaning. Hewett has always believed that while strength and power are sometimes required, the best way to engage with the world is first through compassion and kindness. The bottles truly are a work of art in their own right, and the fact that they sit inside the Acclaim Whisky Stage, filled with legendary Karuizawa liquid, will make them treasured items now and for many years to come.
Celebrating the code of the Samurai and Japan’s martial history by depicting courage, honor and discipline — this collection is inspired by the greatest values in Japanese culture. This collection showcases the very essence of Japanese culture by combining fine art, beautiful craftsmanship and rare whisky to create a collection that is unlike anything that has come before.
On Sale Now. Shipping Immediately.
Reserve NowCombining art, whisky and expert craftsmanship from around Japan, Acclaim The Karuizawa Whisky Stage is a collection like no other.
Limited to just 50 sets of three bottles, all individually numbered, this collectionis a unique piece of Japanese art and whisky history of the likes that has never been seen before, and will never be seen again.
By purchasing the Acclaim Karuizawa Whisky Stage you will be among the few that are able to appreciate this stunning collection that is more than whisky – it’s a masterpiece.
Reserve Now
New Matsui Umeshu with Japanese Brandy & Whisky Set in Stock Now
“After conquering the whisky world, Japanese distillers are ready to do it again with Japanese Gin.”
“Shop our gift guide to find the perfect item. Shop Now.”
Watch The Episode 6 Of Japanese Whisky Lockdown – Watch Now.
