Karuizawa Vintage 1981
First Fill Sherry Cask No.6056
Karuizawa Vintage 1981
This distillery is sadly no more and with most things in life you don’t truly appreciate something till it’s no longer around. This is particularly so with this distillery that didn’t enjoy the worldwide reputation it has today during its existence. If it had then it’s very likely Karuizawa would still be producing its distinctive whisky today.
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.
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