Karuizawa 1982 Single Sherry Butt #2230

Volume: 700ml / ABV: 58%

The Karuizawa distillery was founded in 1955 in the town of Miyota, located on the southern slopes of Mount Asama. Production commenced the following year, focusing on single malt for the Ocean blends from Daikoku Budoshu. Initially, the distillery faced challenges in sourcing malt, but the lifting of import restrictions in 1958 allowed it to experiment with producing a Speyside-style whisky, using the same Golden Promise barley as Macallan and sherry casks. This led to the distillery's single malt appearing in Japan for the first time in the 1980s. Unfortunately, due to a weak Japanese whisky market, Karuizawa was closed in 2001 by its owners, Mercian, and eventually dismantled. However, its legacy endures, with its stills relocated to other distilleries in Japan and its highly sought-after single cask releases, which began appearing in 2007 from independent bottler Number One Drinks. Today, Karuizawa is considered one of the most prestigious single malts globally, with its reverence growing as the remaining stock dwindles.

This particular whisky was distilled in 1982, aged in a single ex-Sherry butt #2230, and bottled in 2008. It is one of 612 bottles.