Karuizawa Distillery was located in Kitazawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1955, it began production in 1956. Considered the smallest whisky distillery in Japan, it was owned by Mercian Corporation. The distillery ceased operations in the early 2000s, and its land was sold in 2012. However, its remaining whisky casks continue to be bottled and released, commanding exceptional prices. The rarest expression is the 1960 vintage, which sells for $638,000 per bottle.
Timeline
Karuizawa distillery was established, initially for producing base spirits used in blended whisky
Mercian Corporation acquired Daikoku Wine, and Karuizawa began providing base spirits for Mercian's blended whisky brand "Ocean"
Renamed to "Karuizawa Ocean Distillery", began producing single malt whisky alongside blended whisky, gradually gaining attention
Karuizawa distillery was mothballed
The distillery was permanently closed
A bottle of 1960 Karuizawa set a world record for Japanese whisky auction price at Bonhams Hong Kong
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