Even if most of us have never so much as sniffed a glass of it, Karuizawa is one of those names that hovers over many conversations as we watch auction prices climb into numbers that look more like a car loan than the price of a bottle of whisky. Among Japan’s “lost” distilleries - the mothballed and demolished ones that now only exist in old photos - Karuizawa is indisputably the cult favourite, the one that collectors chase and the rest of us daydream about.

The distillery itself is set in Miyota, a town on the southern slope of Mt Asama, an active volcano in Nagano Prefecture. It started life in 1955. From the outset, the team there tried to mimic the big, structured Scotch whiskies they admired. They used Golden Promise barley, an old heritage variety better known for shaping the rounded character of The Macallan. They also heated their stills by direct fire before laying their spirit down in sherry casks.

One of the last few photos of the pot stills at Karuizawa Distillery before the distillery was torn down. Shizuoka Distillery's Pot Still "K" was one of the pot stills salvaged from Karuizawa Distillery (Image Source: Sunday’s Grocery Blog).

The use of Golden Promise barley with direct-fired stills and sherry butts gave them a spirit that felt like a rich and slightly brooding Scottish powerhouse with a Japanese twist. For this reason, Karuizawa’s malt was often likened to a sherried Speyside but with an extra oriental character. In fact, it is telling that decades later, Suntory would return to Golden Promise barley for its Yamazaki malt in search of that same depth of flavour.

Now considered highly sought after, Karuizawa Distillery had been mothballed in the face of poor demand. (Image Source: FRW UK)

The problem with Karuizawa, however, is that it was likely the opposite of what the typical Japanese drinker wanted for most of the late twentieth century. Many theorised that the Japanese market at this time rewarded lighter, cleaner whisky, something that could mix effortlessly into mizuwari and highballs after work, not a tannic, chest-thumping sherried beast that dominated the glass. They would point to the success of easy-drinking blends poured in izakayas and salaryman bars. Eventually, Karuizawa did not make commercial sense to its owners. The distillery shut in 2001 and its buildings were eventually demolished a decade later. Back then, the closure barely caused a ripple outside a small circle of enthusiasts. The global Japanese whisky boom had not properly taken off yet, and nobody could have predicted that a few years later people would be fighting over any bottle with “Karuizawa” on the label.

Prominent retailer, collector and now distillery owner, Sukhinder Singh (Source: Ian Fraser)

While the stills cooled and the site slipped quietly into “lost distillery” status, a handful of people were paying very close attention to what was left in the warehouses. One of them was The Whisky Exchange’s co-founder, Sukhinder Singh. Long before the current Karuizawa mania, he had already nosed around the distillery’s output and found great quality casks.

Sukhinder is one of the most influential figures in the modern whisky world – a retailer turned collector turned distillery owner whose decisions have nudged the industry in certain directions. He had built his reputation not just as a successful e-commerce spirits retailer, but as a whisky collector with a frighteningly good eye for whisky that others would have overlooked. When he tasted Karuizawa’s sherried whisky, he recognised its quality and that this was not just another curiosity. Over time, The Whisky Exchange and the bottling arm that became Elixir Distillers acquired a substantial share of the remaining casks and began releasing them in small, carefully selected batches – including the Karuizawa Geisha Series which became the modern face of high end Japanese whisky collecting. Elixir Distillers came to be widely thought to hold one of the most important remaining caches of Karuizawa in barrel.

All of that was swirling in the back of my mind last Tuesday evening as I power walked out of the office, dodged the after work crowd and headed for La Maison du Whisky’s bar. Mr Singh was in town for one evening and was hosting a tasting focused on Elixir Distillers’ brands.

We were taken through a set of The Single Malts of Scotland bottlings. Then Sukhinder smiled and mentioned that “we’re going to give you something really special”. Out came glasses with dark amber liquid which he warned us to take our time and not drink it all in one sip. This was a 50 year old Karuizawa single malt, distilled in 1965 and matured in a sherry butt.

Turning to Karuizawa, Sukhinder’s tone was almost like a parent talking about a child he really understood. Affectionate, proud even, but also very realistic. He stressed that Karuizawa, like any other distillery, had both spectacular casks and some that were fine or even a bit underwhelming.

He also talked about how the microclimate around Karuizawa, with its relatively dry air and significant temperature swings, meant that as the whisky aged, the alcohol strength often went up rather than down, very much like bourbon maturing in hot Kentucky warehouses.

At the same time, Sukhinder lamented that the “Karuizawa” name has become tangled up with speculation and investment, that bottles are shuffled from auction to auction without anyone actually opening them. What Sukhinder wanted to do now was to push back in a bit of a campaign, by putting Karuizawa whisky in glasses once again so we’d all know how it tastes.

So let’s smell and taste this legend.

Whisky Review: Elixir Distillers, Karuizawa 50 Years Old, 58.8% ABV

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Deep copper.

Nose: Dense and clearly defined, that concentration bringing out a deep mix of dried fruit and dark wood. Opens with raisins and plums, followed by a slightly sticky, almost syrupy depth coming from fig molasses. There is an old-spirit atmosphere that reminds me of well-aged Bajan rum, and that warmth leads into a polished and waxy dryness of a vintage violin case. Aromas unfold to a lifted sweetness from dried tropical fruits, most clearly dried pineapple rings, candied orange peels, dried persimmon and dried papaya. On the back of it, more woodsy notes of sandalwood and cedar wood balance the dried fruits. A faint mineral snap of wet rocks, and a gentle aromatic edge from light liquorice and a touch of camphor. The spiced character grows slowly rather than sharply, and it moves in a very mellow, seasoned swirl.

Palate: Texture lands immediately as thick and tongue coating, with a broad bittersweet and slightly floral woodiness that spreads across the tongue without ever feeling heavy. Opens with some power, an aromatic spiced grip from star anise and liquorice, before spiced intensity merges into a warm sweetness of herbal honey. Some sweet dry aromas of tangerine peels before the palate turns back toward darker, thicker notes of fig syrup. Some soft, powdery floral bitter tones of dried irises and lavender.

The dried fruit theme from the nose continues with dried pineapple slices and dates. Towards the mid palate it gets cooling, slightly medicinal shade from eucalyptus leaning into an aromatic agarwood and cedary tone. As we move to the finish, it picks up a savoury depth of some aged cigars and game meats.

Finish: It just keeps going. A dry firmness appears first from leather and tobacco aromas, followed by a soft returning sweetness from dried longans. Soft smoked floral notes of dried petals and potpourri (but without any peatiness), and a final tightening bitterness from espresso. And as the heavier flavours settle, a gentle malt presence seems to be able to come through for me. Echoes of wet stone and slate.

My Thoughts:

This reads like a whisky shaped by both tropical-leaning dried fruits and incense character and its aromatic European oak structure, with an unusually layered movement from dense fruit to floral powder to savoury accents.

It’s got a viscous and slightly syrupy character contrasted by a clear line of bitterness and a mineral touch that gives it precise balance. There’s a smoked and charred feel to it towards the end due to the old wood, and perhaps cask charr and long dried aromatics. The calm temple incense works really naturally with the sherry oak influence here. It is the sort of whisky where the nose alone could occupy me for a long time, and the structure on the palate confirms just how complex and exotic the spirit is.

@CharsiuCharlie