14 January 2026

    • Karuizawa 40 Years Old 1972

    Single Sherry Cask No.8833

    Winning Bid
    £4,403
    NO RESERVE

    Karuizawa 40 Years Old 1972

    Single Sherry Cask No.8833
    Lot #0340517
    FINISH DATE
    30 September 2016

    An astonishing 40-year-old Sherry Butt matured Single Malt whisky from closed Karuizawa distillery. This single cask bottling was bottled exclusively for Taiwan and limited to 267 bottles.

    Karuizawa Distillery was established in 1955 in the foothills of Mount Asama, an active volcano. The area is a popular mountain resort to the north-west of Tokyo and the distillery is the highest in Japan at 850 meters above sea level.
    The environment is ideal for whisky production, enjoying low temperatures and high humidity. Production of single malt whisky at the distillery ceased in 2000.

    Single cask releases from Karuizawa distillery have picked up numerous awards in recent years.

    Karuizawa

    The most collectable name in Japanese whisky, began life as a vineyard, beneath Mount Asama, which was an active volcano. Before the then owners, Daikoku-budoshu, decided to enter the world of whisky in 1955. A brave move given the domestic market was still relatively small and whisky was seen as being of Scottish origin. They looked to Scotland and created a modest-sized distillery that brought together the best of whisky. The emphasis was on quality, using the flavoursome Golden Promise barley that is rarely used today, stills that enhanced the distillate and then predominately sherry maturation, thanks to casks sourced from Spain. A lull in whisky demand prompted the distillery to be closed in 2000, if Japanese whisky was booming as it has been in recent times, Karuizawa would still be in existence. Instead, the remaining casks were purchased by Ichiro Akuto and over the years we’ve seen these hugely collectable releases arrive at retail and vanish soon after.

    Lot Features
    • CASK TYPE
      Sherry Butt
    • DISTILLERY
      Karuizawa
    • TYPE
      Full Size
    • SIZE
      70 cl
    • STRENGTH
      55.9%
    • CASK NUMBER
      8833
    • CASK TYPE
      Sherry Butt
    • APPROX. SHIPPING WEIGHT (kg)
      2.5
    Region
    Japan
    Japan

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