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 for rare Japanese whisky. The distillery closed its doors in 2011, although it had not been producing whisky for over a decade. This particular whisky from Karuizawa is part of the popular Geisha series. It was distilled in 1970 and left to mature in cask #6227 for about 42 years, before being bottled in 2012. It has no box. If you’d like to know the taste of a rare whisky from the legendary distillery, then this is your bottle.