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 109–141 of 141 results

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Karuizawa 1980 Harbour City 35 Years ( Price Upon Request )

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Karuizawa 1979 35 Year Old Single Cask #8187 (Price Upon Request)

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Karuizawa 1990 #679 Geisha

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$21,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 20,513.81
GBP: £ 18,015.31
JPY: ¥ 2,855,305
SGD: $29,347.19
AUD: $33,118.48

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Karuizawa 35 Year Old “Snow Scenes” 2 Bottle Set (Price Upon Request)

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Karuizawa Golden Geisha 33 Year Old Whisky (Price Upon Request)

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Karuizawa 1983 Vintage Cask #2656

Rated 0 out of 5

$29,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 27,973.39
GBP: £ 24,566.33
JPY: ¥ 3,893,599
SGD: $40,018.89
AUD: $45,161.56

in stock

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Karuizawa 1983 Cocktail Series Single Cask #8597

Rated 0 out of 5

$24,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 23,311.15
GBP: £ 20,471.94
JPY: ¥ 3,244,665
SGD: $33,349.08
AUD: $37,634.63

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Karuizawa 30 Year Old Cask Single Cask #8606

Rated 0 out of 5

$29,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 27,973.39
GBP: £ 24,566.33
JPY: ¥ 3,893,599
SGD: $40,018.89
AUD: $45,161.56

in stock

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Karuizawa 30 Year Old Cask #3655

Rated 0 out of 5

$28,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 27,040.94
GBP: £ 23,747.45
JPY: ¥ 3,763,812
SGD: $38,684.93
AUD: $43,656.18

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Karuizawa 1985 Single Cask #2541

Rated 0 out of 5

$20,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 19,581.37
GBP: £ 17,196.43
JPY: ¥ 2,725,519
SGD: $28,013.22
AUD: $31,613.09

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Karuizawa Vintage 1981 Cask #152 (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

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Karuizawa 1981 Sherry Cask #6056

Rated 0 out of 5

$24,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 23,311.15
GBP: £ 20,471.94
JPY: ¥ 3,244,665
SGD: $33,349.08
AUD: $37,634.63

in stock

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Karuizawa 1980 “Pourquoi Faut Il” 33 Year Old Cask #4556

Rated 0 out of 5

$16,599.99 (USD)

EUR: € 15,478.60
GBP: £ 13,593.36
JPY: ¥ 2,154,457
SGD: $22,143.78
AUD: $24,989.39

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Karuizawa 35 Year Old Two Bottle Set (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

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Karuizawa Sea Dragon 2000 Single Malt

Rated 0 out of 5

$9,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 9,324.46
GBP: £ 8,188.77
JPY: ¥ 1,297,865
SGD: $13,339.62
AUD: $15,053.84

in stock

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Karuizawa Single Cask Malt Whisky 45 Year Old Cask #1946 (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

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Karuizawa 1979 Vintage 34 Year Old #7752

Rated 0 out of 5

$29,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 27,973.39
GBP: £ 24,566.33
JPY: ¥ 3,893,599
SGD: $40,018.89
AUD: $45,161.56

in stock

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Karuizawa 1984 Geisha Label ( Price upon Request)

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Karuizawa Bar Show 2012

Rated 0 out of 5

$11,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 11,189.35
GBP: £ 9,826.53
JPY: ¥ 1,557,439
SGD: $16,007.55
AUD: $18,064.62

in stock

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Karuizawa 1969 42 Year Old Cask #8183

Rated 0 out of 5

$64,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 60,609.02
GBP: £ 53,227.05
JPY: ¥ 8,436,132
SGD: $86,707.62
AUD: $97,850.07

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Karuizawa 1963 50 Year Old and 1964 48 Year Old (Price Upon Request)

Rated 0 out of 5

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Karuizawa 1970 Geisha Label 42 Year Old #6227

Rated 0 out of 5

$59,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 55,946.78
GBP: £ 49,132.66
JPY: ¥ 7,787,199
SGD: $80,037.80
AUD: $90,323.14

in stock

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Karuizawa 1991 Geisha Single Cask #259

Rated 0 out of 5

$19,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 18,648.92
GBP: £ 16,377.55
JPY: ¥ 2,595,732
SGD: $26,679.26
AUD: $30,107.70

in stock

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Karuizawa Noh Whisky 30 Year Old Cask# 2030

Rated 0 out of 5

$28,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 27,040.94
GBP: £ 23,747.45
JPY: ¥ 3,763,812
SGD: $38,684.93
AUD: $43,656.18

in stock

Lazy

Karuizawa 1981 Sherry Cask #6256

Rated 0 out of 5

$20,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 19,581.37
GBP: £ 17,196.43
JPY: ¥ 2,725,519
SGD: $28,013.22
AUD: $31,613.09

in stock

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Karuizawa 35 Year Old Vintage Single Cask (Price Upon Request)

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Karuizawa Cask Strength 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Release (Price Upon Request)

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Karuizawa Noh 1980 #3565

Rated 0 out of 5

$39,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 37,297.85
GBP: £ 32,755.11
JPY: ¥ 5,191,465
SGD: $53,358.53
AUD: $60,215.42

in stock

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Karuizawa 1984 # 4021 and Karuizawa 1982 #8497

Rated 0 out of 5

$42,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 40,095.19
GBP: £ 35,211.74
JPY: ¥ 5,580,825
SGD: $57,360.42
AUD: $64,731.58

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Karuizawa 29 Year Old Bourbon and 30 Year Old Sherry Geisha Labels (Price Upon Request)

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Karuizawa Asama 1999 / 2000

Rated 0 out of 5

$6,299.99 (USD)

EUR: € 5,874.40
GBP: £ 5,158.92
JPY: ¥ 817,655
SGD: $8,403.96
AUD: $9,483.92

in stock

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Karuizawa 1971 41 Year Old #7267 Geisha

Rated 0 out of 5

$59,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 55,946.78
GBP: £ 49,132.66
JPY: ¥ 7,787,199
SGD: $80,037.80
AUD: $90,323.14

in stock

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Karuizawa 1984 30 Year Old #7857 Samurai 700ml

Rated 0 out of 5

$49,999.99 (USD)

EUR: € 46,622.32
GBP: £ 40,943.89
JPY: ¥ 6,489,332
SGD: $66,698.17
AUD: $75,269.28

in stock