May 2019 Auction

Karuizawa 29 Year Old Sherry Cask / Murasaki Geisha

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

One of two highly sought after 'Purple Geisha' released in 2018 by Elixir distillers. This particular single cask has been matured for over 29 years in a single sherry cask.

Bottle number 39 of only 60.

Karuizawa 31 Year Old Sherry Cask / Murasaki Geisha

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

One of two highly sought after 'Murasaki Geisha' released in 2018 by Elixir distillers. This particular single cask has been matured for over 31 years in a single sherry cask.

Bottle number 45 of only 60.

Karuizawa 33 Year Old Sherry Cask #3579 / Golden Geisha

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

The 2 highly sought after Golden Geisha releases were available to purchase by winners of a raffle hosted by The Whisky Exchange.

Aged for 33 years in sherry cask #3579, this bottle is number 42 of 129.

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa 33 Year Old Sherry Cask #8908 / Emerald Geisha​

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This is another sought after single cask release from Elixir Distillers, the bottling arm of London's The Whisky Exchange. Here's what they had to say:

\"The distinctive emerald labels combine beautiful Japanese art forms with complex hot foil and intricate embossing embellishments, giving the bottles a sculptured finish. They were designed by The Whisky Exchange’s creative director Raj Chavda, who is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Art.\"

Released in February 2018, the whisky was drawn from single sherry cask #8908.

Bottle number 80 of only 170. 

Karuizawa 35 Year Old Bourbon Cask #8518 / Emerald Geisha​

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This is another sought after single cask release from Elixir Distillers, the bottling arm of London's The Whisky Exchange. Here's what they had to say:

\"The distinctive emerald labels combine beautiful Japanese art forms with complex hot foil and intricate embossing embellishments, giving the bottles a sculptured finish. They were designed by The Whisky Exchange’s creative director Raj Chavda, who is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Art.\"

Number 142 of only 265 bottles drawn from single Bourbon cask #8518. Released in February 2018.​

Karuizawa 31 Year Old Sherry Cask #3667 / Golden Geisha

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This is one of two highly sought after 'Golden Geisha' releases, which were available to purchase by winners of a ballot hosted by The Whisky Exchange.

Aged for 31 years in sherry cask #3667, this bottle is number 217 of 225. 

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask 35 Year Old #6412 / Fazzino

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

An impressive 2017 bottling, distilled in 1981 and matured exclusively in sherry butt #6412.

The box and bottle bear art work by renowned 3D artist Fazzino.

Karuizawa 1980 Harbour City 35 Year Old Cask #4376

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim.

It is amazing that we still see single casks of Karuizawa being released, this is a 1980 vintage single cask matured for 35 years. 

One of only 212 bottles. 

Karuizawa 1969 Single Cask 42 Year Old #8183

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim, this one perhaps more than most!

It is amazing that whiskies such as this have been bottled in recent years given how few casks of Karuizawa are remaining. There are now not many as old as this and we doubt there will be many (if any at all) that will match this age in the future.

Distilled in December 1969 and bottled 42 years later in August 2012, this is legendary cask #8183  which oddly is a 400 litre ex-bourbon cask.

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask 35 Year Old #6412 / Fazzino

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

An impressive 2017 bottling, distilled in 1981 and matured exclusively in sherry butt #6412.

The box and bottle bear artwork by renowned 3D artist Fazzino.

Karuizawa 1984 30 Year Old Single Cask #8354 / Samurai

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

Karuizawa’s style was that of a certain Speyside whisky, they almost exclusively used Golden Promise barley imported from Scotland and primarily matured whisky in sherry casks imported from Spain. The key to Karuizawa’s success was the hidden earthiness and peatiness that gave many of their legendary single cask bottlings its unique character.

The water source used in production has flowed through the volcanic lava rock and soil that surround the distillery, giving it a unique mineral quality. This high quality led Karuizawa to be the first whisky exported out of Japan but ultimately led to their downfall, as both Japan and the world were not ready to accept such a high quality spirit which was not produced in Scotland. As a result, the distillery was not financially viable, which resulted in a great loss for whisky drinkers but produced an interesting rarity for whisky collectors.

Karuizawa is unique, there are so few releases in the last couple of years of this legendary malt.

Distilled in 1984 and matured for 30 years until bottling in 2014.

At only 175 bottles this is by far the rarest of the Samurai range. 

Karuizawa 1969 Single Cask 42 Year Old #8183

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim, this one perhaps more than most!

It is amazing that whiskies such as this have been bottled in recent years given how few casks of Karuizawa are remaining. There are now not many as old as this and we doubt there will be many (if any at all) that will match this age in the future.

Distilled in December 1969 and bottled 42 years later in August 2012, this is legendary cask #8183  which oddly is a 400 litre ex-bourbon cask.

Karuizawa 35 Year Old Single Cask #7417 / Water of Life

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This limited release 35 year old was bottled in 2015.

Produced from single cask #7417, which yielded only 473 bottles.

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa Five Decades 1960 - 2000

One of the most exciting new releases of the past year. This very exclusive bottling of Karuizawa was launched at department store Isetan in Shinjuku.

The whisky contains a vatting of casks from five decades of Karuizawa, from the 1960s right up until the distillery's closure in 2000, only leaving out a very low period of production during the 1950s.  The last part of the story, the whisky was then transferred into an ex-Karuizawa cask for a number of years before being bottled in 2015. 

This delightfully engraved decanter is presented in a well crafted wooden box with keys included.

The guys at Nonjatta have commented on this bottle as Karuizawa's 'Swan Song'.

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask #6355 / Only 97 Bottles

One of the three bottles which make up the iconic 1980/1981/1982 Samurai Set.

Distilled in 1981 and bottled in 2015 after maturing in a single Sherry Butt. Cask No. / 6355

One of only 97 bottles.

Karuizawa 35 Year Old Single Cask #7417 / Water of Life

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This limited release 35 year old was bottled in 2015.

Produced from single cask #7417, which yielded only 473 bottles.

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Hayato Nishimura

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 100 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Toru Komatsu

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 94 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Tagima Taira

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 98 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Kenichi Sakamoto

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 95 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip²  / Mitsuru Sato

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 97 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Masato Seto

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 104 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Howard Weitzman

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 101 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Eiichiro Kimura

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 93 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Keiji Sato

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 96 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Issei Suda

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 105 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Tadayuki Yoshii

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 103 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Kazutaka Takahashi

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 99 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Daisuke Osanai

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 91 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Kazutoshi Miyoshi

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 102 of 202.

Karuizawa and Yamanashi Time Slip² / Shigenori Kamata

Following on from the first Time Slip release (Nonjatta's 7th entry to their Ghost Series), come this Time Slip². Where the first was a blend of Karuizawa malt and Kawasaki grain, this release contains the same malt but with grain whisky from the short-lived Yamanashi distillery.

The blend was produced in the 1970s but left forgotten in a glass container before being serendipitously discovered in a cold warehouse in Hokkaido in 2015. It was then finished in a recently emptied ex-1980s vintage Karuizawa sherry cask for 3 years and 4 months.

This is a collaboration between Nonjatta, Place M and Red Photo Gallery to celerate the 3rd anniversary of the latter.

There are 15 label designs, each featuring artwork from different gallery member (13 of them), plus Masato Seto and Issei Suda.

Bottle 92 of 202.

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask 35 Year Old #171 / Eight Headed Dragon

Karuizawa produced outstanding whiskies, many of which have received international acclaim. They have released almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rarer and rarer as demand soars.

This limited bottling was distilled in 1981 and bottled in 2016 at an impressive 35 years old..

Produced from single sherry cask #171, which yielded only 530 bottles.

Bottled at cask strength, this is one of several 35 year old releases depicting Japanese mythology on their labels. The Eight Headed Dragon on this label is borrowed form the cover of a popular series of stories published by Hasegawa Takejiro in the 18th century. The dragon is named Yamata no Orochi.

Presented in a stunning lock and key presentation box. Please note that the key is missing that would normally come with this box.