The Karuizawa Distillery was established in 1955 in the foothills of Mount Asama – an active volcano. The area is a popular mountain resort and the distillery is the highest in Japan at 850m above sea level. Traditional, small-scale, high-quality production is the aim, with wooden wash backs, small stills, and sherry casks from Spain all contributing to the process. The environment is also ideal for whisky production, with low temperatures and high humidity.

Karuizawa is the gold standard of rare Japanese whisky. The distillery closed its doors in 2011, although it had not been producing whisky for over a decade. This particular bottle from the Noh series is from a single cask, distilled in 1981 and bottled 31 years later from cask #4676. A very rare Karuizawa, with only 186 bottles ever released.