10 December 2025

    • Karuizawa 12 Years Old 2000

    SMWS 132.6

    Winning Bid
    £345
    NO RESERVE

    Karuizawa 12 Years Old 2000

    SMWS 132.6
    Lot #0250149
    FINISH DATE
    31 December 2015

    'Nite Nurse nipped by piranhas' - a 12 year old Karuizawa from the SMWS. Distilled 31st December 2000 in an ex-sherry refill butt. Bottled at full cask strength by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society from a single cask with an outturn of 553 bottles.

    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
    • BOTTLER
      SMWS
    • CASK TYPE
      Refill Sherry Cask
    • DISTILLERY
      Karuizawa
    • TYPE
      Full Size
    • SIZE
      70 cl
    • STRENGTH
      63.0% vol
    • CASK TYPE
      Refill Sherry Cask
    • APPROX. SHIPPING WEIGHT (kg)
      2
    Region
    Japan
    Japan

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