Karuizawa Whisky | Closed Japanese Distillery | dekanta

Karuizawa Distillery

Karuizawa was a small distillery that produced first-class malt whiskeys.

There is no shortage of thawing snow at Mount Asama and the chilly climate provided an excellent location for whiskey making. In 1976 the first 100 percent domestic malt whiskey saw the light of day at Karuizawa. The whiskey was stored in small barrels, and the distillery used small pots for distillation. The storehouse of Karuizawa was also covered in ivy, which is said to assist in keeping the temperature and humidity at exactly the right levels for producing good whisky. Though small, this distillery was known for producing whiskey of the finest quality.

Karuizawa whiskeys are noted for their floral scent and maturity, making them highly sought-after products. In former times the company produced pharmaceuticals and chemicals as well as alcoholic beverages before focusing solely on alcoholic beverages.

History Of Karuizawa Distillery

Suzuki Chuji, the second son of the founder of the Ajinomoto brand, started brewing sake from soya beans and founded the Showa Brewing Corp. in 1934.

Karuizawa-map

After establishing a factory in Kawasaki, the company began producing Miraku refined sake, and in 1949, the name of the company was changed to Miraku Breweries Corp. In 1955, Karuizawa distillery was built near Mount Asama, and whisky production began.

In 1961 the company acquired wine maker Nisshin Breweries based in the city of Koshu. The Nisshin owned the Mercian brand, and under this name the company added wine its production. In the following year it acquired the Ocean brand (owned by Daikoku Wineries). Following the example of Suntory, the company became a large producer of Western style alcoholic beverages under the Ocean name.

In 1970 the company marketed Chateau Mercian wine, and then during the 1980s highball boom, the company started making sour drinks and cocktails of all sorts, such as the famous peachtree fizz that’s still popular today. In 1990 the company acquired its present name of Mercian.

For a long time, the Suzuki family owned the largest shares in Ajinomoto; however, in 1997 following a power struggle, the company president published a damning account of family’s behavior. The company was then reworked and improved before being acquired as a subsidiary of Kirin Holdings in the mid-2000s. Today, Mercian forms the nucleus of the Kirin group’s wine industry. Although the main shareholder has changed, the company itself remains largely unchanged from its Ajinomoto origins.

But Kirin could not sustain the premium whisky production, so the Karuizawa distillery and its sister distillery at Kawasaki closed in 2011. When Karuizawa was completely shuttered in 2012, the pot still and other equipment were removed, and what could be sold was sold off. As Karuizawa is now a rare, world-famous whisky, its price has almost doubled in recent times. Currently it’s not easy to get one’s hands on a bottle.

How To Find Karuizawa Distillery

Unfortunately it is no longer possible to visit Karuizawa distillery as it was closed and the land on which it stood sold in 2012.

Showing 1–36 of 119 results

Lazy

Ocean Whisky ‘Gloria’ Marine Sense

Rated 0 out of 5

$399.99 (USD)

EUR: € 413.90
GBP: £ 370.52
JPY: ¥ 57,915
SGD: $572.39
AUD: $614.44

in stock

Lazy

Sanraku Ocean Hanshin Tigers 1985 Nippon Series Champions Blended Whisky

Rated 0 out of 5

$429.99 (USD)

EUR: € 444.94
GBP: £ 398.31
JPY: ¥ 62,259
SGD: $615.32
AUD: $660.53

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 40 Year Old Limited Edition

Rated 0 out of 5

$31,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 33,112.56
GBP: £ 29,642.29
JPY: ¥ 4,633,319
SGD: $45,792.32
AUD: $49,156.63

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Gloria Ocean Special Grade Whisky

Rated 0 out of 5

$399.99 (USD)

EUR: € 413.90
GBP: £ 370.52
JPY: ¥ 57,915
SGD: $572.39
AUD: $614.44

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 15 Year Old 100% Malt Final Version

Rated 0 out of 5

$4,399.99 (USD)

EUR: € 4,552.97
GBP: £ 4,075.81
JPY: ¥ 637,080
SGD: $6,296.43
AUD: $6,759.02

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 15 Years Old Single Malt

Rated 0 out of 5

$4,199.99 (USD)

EUR: € 4,346.01
GBP: £ 3,890.54
JPY: ¥ 608,122
SGD: $6,010.23
AUD: $6,451.79

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 12 Years Old Pure Malt 2001 Final Version

Rated 0 out of 5

$4,299.99 (USD)

EUR: € 4,449.49
GBP: £ 3,983.18
JPY: ¥ 622,601
SGD: $6,153.33
AUD: $6,605.41

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 15 Year Old 100% Malt Whisky

Rated 0 out of 5

$4,199.99 (USD)

EUR: € 4,346.01
GBP: £ 3,890.54
JPY: ¥ 608,122
SGD: $6,010.23
AUD: $6,451.79

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Vintage 1965 Cask #8852 (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Due to the exclusive nature of this bottle, pricing and delivery information is available by request only. For serious inquiries, please contact concierge@dekanta.com.

Lazy

Karuizawa 100% Malt 10 Year Old Whisky

Rated 0 out of 5

$1,899.99 (USD)

EUR: € 1,966.05
GBP: £ 1,760.00
JPY: ¥ 275,102
SGD: $2,718.91
AUD: $2,918.66

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Golden Geisha 31 Year Old Whisky (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Hanshin Tigers 2003

Rated 5.00 out of 5

$2,599.99 (USD)

EUR: € 2,690.39
GBP: £ 2,408.43
JPY: ¥ 376,456
SGD: $3,720.61
AUD: $3,993.96

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Ocean Blended 12 Year Old Special Whisky Gift Set

Rated 0 out of 5

$759.99 (USD)

EUR: € 786.41
GBP: £ 704.00
JPY: ¥ 110,040
SGD: $1,087.55
AUD: $1,167.45

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1964 48 Year Old (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Due to the exclusive nature of this bottle, pricing and delivery information is available by request only. For serious inquiries, please contact concierge@dekanta.com.

Lazy

Karuizawa Noh Multi-Vintage 1981

Rated 0 out of 5

$20,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 21,730.11
GBP: £ 19,452.75
JPY: ¥ 3,040,615
SGD: $30,051.21
AUD: $32,259.03

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 35 Year Old “Fazzino” 1981 Cask #6412

Rated 0 out of 5

$43,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 45,529.77
GBP: £ 40,758.16
JPY: ¥ 6,370,815
SGD: $62,964.45
AUD: $67,590.37

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa “Aqua of Life” 50 Year Old (Price Upon Request)

Rated 5.00 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Cask Strength 1999-2000 Vintage

Rated 0 out of 5

$11,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 12,417.20
GBP: £ 11,115.85
JPY: ¥ 1,737,494
SGD: $17,172.11
AUD: $18,433.73

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1999 Single Cask 18 Year Old #2410 – Taiwan Duty Free

Rated 0 out of 5

$11,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 12,417.20
GBP: £ 11,115.85
JPY: ¥ 1,737,494
SGD: $17,172.11
AUD: $18,433.73

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask #164 / The Great Battle Of Yashima

Rated 0 out of 5

$59,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 62,086.06
GBP: £ 55,579.31
JPY: ¥ 8,687,475
SGD: $85,860.62
AUD: $92,168.69

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask 35 Year Old #7427 / Snow Scene

Rated 0 out of 5

$64,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 67,259.89
GBP: £ 60,210.92
JPY: ¥ 9,411,432
SGD: $93,015.67
AUD: $99,849.42

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Ocean White Ice Field Whisky (No Box)

Rated 0 out of 5

$229.99 (USD)

EUR: € 237.99
GBP: £ 213.04
JPY: ¥ 33,301
SGD: $329.12
AUD: $353.30

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1965 Single Cask Sherry 50 Year Old(Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Golden Geisha Whisky Set (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 35 Year Old “8-Headed Dragon” Whisky

Rated 0 out of 5

$52,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 54,842.68
GBP: £ 49,095.06
JPY: ¥ 7,673,936
SGD: $75,843.55
AUD: $81,415.68

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 2000 “The Rising Sun” Single Cask #8123

Rated 0 out of 5

$14,499.99 (USD)

EUR: € 15,004.12
GBP: £ 13,431.66
JPY: ¥ 2,099,472
SGD: $20,749.64
AUD: $22,274.09

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1974 40 Year Old #4560 & 3626 / Blue and Gold Geisha (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Vintage 40 Year Old Cask #6114

Rated 0 out of 5

$61,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 64,155.59
GBP: £ 57,431.95
JPY: ¥ 8,977,058
SGD: $88,722.64
AUD: $95,240.98

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Ocean White Ship Whisky

Rated 0 out of 5

$329.99 (USD)

EUR: € 341.46
GBP: £ 305.68
JPY: ¥ 47,780
SGD: $472.22
AUD: $506.91

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Honor Sumo Triple Set (1981/1982/1983) (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1963 50 Year Old (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1972 40 Year Old Gold Dragon Label (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Thousand Arrows (Karuizawa Thousand Arrows) (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Fight Club Collection 1986/1987/1988

Rated 0 out of 5

$149,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 155,215.16
GBP: £ 138,948.29
JPY: ¥ 21,718,690
SGD: $214,651.57
AUD: $230,421.76

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa Five Decades 1960 – 2000

Rated 0 out of 5

$36,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 38,286.40
GBP: £ 34,273.90
JPY: ¥ 5,357,276
SGD: $52,947.38
AUD: $56,837.35

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1967 Vintage 45 Year Old #2725 (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

in stock