Karuizawa

Japan

All about Karuizawa

There are no other words to describe Karuizawa then precious and legendary. The distillery opened in 1955 in Miyota, Japan, nearby the active volcano Mount Asama, distilling ceased in 2000. 

Small batch production made this Whisky very special. Most of the Karuizawa bottles can now be found in private collections and are very very expensive.

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All about Karuizawa distillery

Karuizawa Distillery was located at Miyota, on the southern slopes of Mount Asama. The location was selected because it resembled the Highlands in Scotland. The distillery was established in 1955, and started production in 1956.

The first single malt was released from the distillery in 1976. Former Whiskies were either blends or stored for collections. Eventually the Kirin Group could not sustain premium Whisky production, and in 2000 distilling stopped. By 2011 the distillery was closed.

Karuizawa had four small stills and used Sherry casks. The barley used was imported Golden Promise barley from Scotland. Production volume was just 150,000 liters per year.

Distillery info

  • Country: Japan
  • Address: 1795-2, Oaza, Maseguchi, Miyota-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano-ken, Japan