November 2018 Auction

Karuizawa 1965 Single Sherry Cask 50 Year Old #2372​ 

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.

A special release from La Maison Du Whisky, this vintage Karuizawa was distilled in 1965 and matured in a sherry cask. 

This is bottle number 26 of 300 bottles.

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 14 of only 60.

Karuizawa 1978 Single Cask 35 Year Old #8383 / Wealth Solutions

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

This is a single cask release from a single ex-bourbon cask #8383, distilled in December 1978 and bottled in July 2014.

Titled Koishikawa-Kōrakuen, this was named after am 17th century garden in the Tokyo. Work on the garden was begun by Mito Yorifusa in 1629 and was completed by his son Mito Mitsukuni. The garden was cretaed on the advice of Chinese scholar Zhu Shun Shui, and incorporates elements of Japanese and Chinese culture.

The bottle, produced by Wealth Solutions features a depiction of the garden gilded on it.

This is one of just 24 bottles.

Karuizawa 1980 Single Cask 35 Year Old #8283 / Moon Above the Sea at Daimotsu Bay

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 1980 and bottled in 2015 at an impressive 35 years old..

Produced from single bourbon cask #8283, which yielded only 401 bottles.

Bottled at cask strength, this is stunning bottling presents  Moon above the Sea at Daimotsu Bay, part of theTsukioka Honen's \" One Hundered Aspects of the Moon series on the box and label art

Presented in a stunning lock and key presentation box.

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

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.

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 209 of 225. 

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa 1981Single Cask 35 Year Old #7427 / Snow Scene

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 after 35 years in the cask.

Cask number #7427 yielded only 208 bottles.

Presented in a striking blue box which depicts The Tale of Genji in Snow Scenes by Edo era Ukiyo-e artist, Utagawa Hiroshige.

Karuizawa 1981 Single Cask 35 Year Old #164 / The Great Battle of Yashima

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.

A new impressive bottling, bottled last year 2016.  Distilled in 1981 and matured exclusively in sherry butt #164.

The box represents half of a scene from The Great Battle of Yashima.

Clynelish 1965 Whyte and Whyte 28 Year Old 75cl / Spirits Library

An independently bottled Clynelish has become a very rare indeed.

A real gem for any Clynelish enthusiast, produced at the original Clynelish distillery, which has now become recognised as Brora.

Distilled in 1965, two years before the Clynelish distillery opened, and bottled at 28 years old.

This was bottled by Whyte and Whyte for the Spirits Library, a Scotch and Cognac retailer in the US.

Bottled at cask strength.

Caol Ila 15 Year Old Manager's Dram 1990

The Manager’s Dram series of whiskies were bottled exclusively for employees of what is now known as Diageo. These whiskies were selected by the respective distillery managers within Diageo malt distilling and bottled at natural cask strength.

This Caol Ila is hands-down the most sought-after, and is becoming more and more difficult to find. 

Matured in sherry casks, this iconic malt was bottled in 1990 at 63%. 

Karuizawa 1972 Single Cask #7038

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 1972 and bottled on 4th October 2011.

Produced from single cask #7038 and bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa 1984 30 Year Old Single Cask #6432 / Samurai

Karuizawa distillery was the smallest distillery in Japan. The distillery was established in 1955  on the slopes of Mount Asama, an active volcano. Karuizawa was mothballed in 2000 and the remaining stocks were thankfully ‘saved’ by Ichiro Akuto.   

Karuizwa’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 it’s 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 1984 and matured for 30 years until bottling in 2015, limited to only 404 bottles at 63.2%.

Karuizawa 1982 Single Cask #8497 / TWE Exclusive

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 was distilled in 1982 and bottled in 2012 exclusively for The Whisky Exchange.

Produced from single first fill bourbon cask #8497.

Karuizawa 1984 Noh Single Cask 30 Year Old #2030 / Isetan Exclusive​

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 series features different masks used in Noh, one of Japan's traditional performing arts. This image features the mask of the Noh character, Ishio-jō, a reserved and introspective old man of quiet dignity.

This limited bottling was distilled in 1984 and bottled in 2015 after 30 years of maturation.

Produced from single sherry cask #2030, which yielded only 522 bottles.

This release was an exclusive for the Japanese department store chain, Isetan.

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa 1984 Single Cask #4021 / Carpe Koi Series for TWE

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 1984 and bottled in 2012.

Produced from single first fill sherry cask #4021.

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa 1982 Noh Single Cask 29 Year Old #8529 / TWE ​

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 series features different masks used in Noh, one of Japan's traditional performing arts. This image features the mask of the Noh character, Shikami, a violently malicious spirit.

This limited release was distilled in 1982 and bottled in 2012 after 29 years of maturation.

Produced from single bourbon cask #8529, which yielded only 411 bottles.

This release was an exclusive for The Whisky Exchange.

Karuizawa 1964 Wealth Solutions 48 Year Old Miniature

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 September 1964 and bottled December 2012

Produced from single cask #3603

Bottled at cask strength for Wealth Solutions, Poland

Includes Booklet

Coleburn 1969 Samaroli 12 Year Old / Flowers 1981

A 1969 vintage bottling from closed Speyside distillery, Coleburn. Bottled at at 12 years of age.

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, and an eye for aesthetics (if not English spelling at times!), he is regarded by many as a visionary. Many of his bottles now occupy deserved sports on the pantheon of whisky greats.

This is part of SIlvano's first ever solo series of bottlings, a follow up to his 1979/1980 collaboration with Cadenhead's. It is rather cumbersomely titled 'The Never Bottled Top Quality Whisky' series, however is better known as the Flowers range. The bottlings all have hand drawn labels by Samaroli himself, and a second series was released in 1990 as an homage to them.

Bottle number 27 of 300. 

Talisker 1978 Samaroli Sherry Wood / Curved Distillery Label

A beautifully coloured bottling of Talisker from Silvano Samaroli, distilled in 1978 and bottled in 1992. This is part of series of classic labels, affectionately termed as the 'Curved Distillery Name' series, released between 1986 and 1992.

This was one of the later releases, and one of the last where Samaroli was still in business with Aberdeen bottlers R.W. Duthie (their commitments to Cadenhead's were so time consuming by the early 1990s that this brought an end to the partnership).

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, and an eye for aesthetics (if not English spelling at times!), he is regarded by many as a visionary. Many of his bottles now occupy deserved sports on the pantheon of whisky greats.

Bottle 1362 of 1572.

Caol Ila 1978 Samaroli / 20th Anniversary

A 1978 vintage Caol Ila, bottled in 1988 by R.W. Duthie in 1988 for Samaroli as part of a series celebrating their 20th anniversary.

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, and an eye for aesthetics (if not English spelling at times!), he is regarded by many as a visionary. Many of his bottles now occupy deserved sports on the pantheon of whisky greats.

The labels on this 20th anniversary series have been lovingly reappropriated from Samaroli's first ever series, his 1979/1980 collaboration with Cadenhead's. The image on this Caol Ila was first used on the 23 year old Mortlach from that set.

Bottle 139 of 540.

Karuizawa 1991 SMWS 22 Year Old 132.2​

Otherwise known as 'Stunning Panaorama of Exotic Fruits'.

This Karuizawa was distilled on 4th September 1999 and bottled as a 22 year old in 2013.  

A single refill ex-sherry butt yielded 335 bottles.

Karuizawa Cask Strength 1st-4th Release 4 x 70cl

This cask strength series of Karuizawa was exclusively released to the Taiwanese market. Included here are all four releases.

The cask strength series is a blend of sherry casks from 1999 and 2000, all bottled at 61.7%. 

This lot has a 4 bottle shipping fee.

Karuizawa 1984 Single Cask 29 Year Old #7802 / Norway and Sweden Exclusive

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 on 29th November 1984 and bottled on 13th October 2014 as a 29 year old.

Produced from a single Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butt, cask #7802, which yielded just 577 bottles. 

This release was an exclusive to Norway and Sweden.

Clynelish 1972 Rare Malt 22 Year Old 75cl / 58.95%

The Rare Malt Selection is a historic selection of single malt whiskies from operational and lost distilleries that were released by Diageo between 1995 and 2005.

Released within the Rare Malt Selection. Distilled in 1972 and bottled as a 22 year old at 58.95%. 

Bottle 4873.

Karuizawa Noh 27 Year Old Multi-Vintages #1 / Kamiasobi - Matsukaze

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

This series features different masks used in Noh, one of Japan's traditional performing arts. This image features the mask of the Noh character, Matsukaze, a female ghost who is the central character in a popular Noh play of her name.

This limited multi-vintage release was blended from whiskies distilled in 1981,1982, 1983 & 1984 and bottled in October 2011.

Produced from four selected sherry butts and bourbon casks: #6405, #4973, #8184 and #6437.

This release was selected by La Maison Du Whisky.

Bottled at cask strength.

Karuizawa 2000 15 Year Old Noh Cask Single Cask #2326

As with many of the Karuizawa bottlings that we list in our auctions, this label is fantastic! 

This is a single cask distilled in 2000 and bottled in 2015.

Single cask #2326 was a sherry cask that yielded 495 bottles.

Karuizawa 1999/2000 Cocktail Series #2565 / Tokyo Bar Show 2012​

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 selected from spirit distilled in 1999 & 2000, then \"married\" in single cask #2565.

This release was an exclusive bottling for the Tokyo International Bar Show 2012.

Bottled at cask strength.

Chichibu 2009 Ichiro's Malt Single Cask #2369 / Warrior Series No.1

An exciting release from Ichiro Akuto's Chichibu distillery. 

Distilled in 2009 and aged in French white wine cask #2369 until 2017.

This was the first in what looks to be an eagerly anticipated range of Whiskies.

Coleraine 1959 Limited Edition 34 Year Old Irish Single Malt

A true piece of Irish Whisky heritage. Established in 1820 in Coleraine, Ulster, it was one of only two distilleries on the isle of Ireland to produce malt.

Famously supplying whisky to the Houses of Commons the brand proudly bore \"H.C.\" on the label.

In a tale familiar to lovers of Irish whisk(e)y the 20th century was not kind to Colerane and it spent most of the 1920s silent before being acquired in 1933 by the Boyds of Bushmills.

A Patent still was installed after WWII, malt distillations ceased in 1964 with grain following suit in 1978 and now only a scant few pieces of masonry stand as testament to this once illustrious distillery.

Produced from very limited stocks laid down in 1959 and aged 34 years, only 400 bottles were produced in 1993.

Presented in an attractive wooden box and includes a numbered certificate of authenticity and 

Cardow 1962 Cadenhead's 16 Year Old / Cardhu

As Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, Cadenhead’s have long been known for releasing stunning whiskies but none more so than those from their famous ‘dumpy’ series, which features some incredible 1950s and 60s vintages. Whisky from this bygone era of production have become increasingly elusive in recent years, making them exceptionally desirable. 

This Cardhu was bottled under one of the distilleries lesser known names 'Cardow'.

Distilled in September 1962 and bottled in February 1985. 

Imported to the US by Vino Nobile, Illinois.

Tobermory 1973 42 Year Old

A truly spectacular bottling from this oft-overlooked Island distillery. 

Distilled in 1942 the liquid has been rested in cask for 42 years before being filled into individually number engraved bottles and presented in a very swish metal presentation box with revolving door.

Bottle number 172 of 650.