The World’s Rarest Japanese Whisky Is About To Be Reborn

Fans of impossibly rare Japanese whisky can look forward to an exciting new year. Karuizawa, among the most sought after names in the realm of supreme single malt is about to turn its stills back on. Well, sort of…

The legendary distillery in Nagano Prefecture was mothballed back in 2000 and since then the liquid that lives on has amassed a cult-like status. The fervor has only intensified as that remaining stock dwindles. A 1960 vintage recently went on sale for $638,000 per bottle. Even when it’s not nearly that old, we’ve seen expressions nab nearly half a million dollars at auction. Seriously. And now we’re about to see a new Karuizawa reborn in a state-of-the-art $20 million USD facility, some 7 miles down the road from its original site.

Instrumental in shaping the revival is Ian Chang, the same master blender responsible for the award-winning Taiwanese malts of Kavalan. Here he’ll be working with a single pair of stills from the folks at Forsyths, who provide copper for the most esteemed names in Scotch. He’ll also be using a pristine water source from the foothills of Mount Asama—nearly identical in composition to the liquid that would have been used in distilling the original Karuizawa. As a result, all the pieces are in play for this to be some truly exceptional whisky. But we’ll have to wait a decade until we know for sure.

Chang intends to lay down only 250 barrels worth of liquid into sherry butts each year. And he won’t bottle any of it until it has rested for at least 10. Through an exclusive partnership with online retailer dekantā, Karuizawa will make entire casks available to deep-pocketed collectors. The allocation for 2022 has already sold out, but 2023 is set to go on sale soon. So keep your eyes open and don’t expect it to come cheap; the site isn’t exactly known for offering the most competitive pricing.

In the meantime, you’re welcome to visit the facility in person starting in the new year. It was constructed to include a sleek and modern visitors center. Although what exactly you’d be tasting there remains a mystery. Maybe some stellar Japanese new make? If you’re lucky, perhaps Karuizawa Distillers’ CEO and founder Koji Shimaoka has stockpiled a few bottlings from his predecessors. Most likely you’ll soon be sipping on something younger and fruitier which will be bottled under the more accessible Komoro label. But one thing’s for certain: the future will be filled with more Karuizawa.