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Karuizawa 1972-2011 - Single Cask 7038



Lot ID:
0125-320

shipping rate:
3

Total Bids:
137   

Final Bid
£2,600.00


End Date : Feb 19 2025 08:55 PM

We may have sold this bottle before. Click the graph below to view our sales history.


CONDITION

Creased box. Hairline crack in top of wax.

FILLING LEVEL

Upper Shoulder

LOT DESCRIPTION

Karuizawa 1972 - 2011. Cask number 7038. One of 523 bottles matured in a Sherry Butt. 70cl. 63.3%. In presentation box.

A single cask edition of Karuizawa 1972, one of the rarest of all of the classic 1970s vintages from the legendary closed Japanese distillery. This edition, one of just five known bottlings of the 1972 vintage, was bottled from one of the distillery’s magnificent sherry butts by Number One Drinks towards the end of 2011, at the height of the early craze for Japanese single malt whisky, at its extraordinary natural cask strength of 63.3%.

Distillery:  Karuizawa

Distillery Status:  Closed

Bottler: Distillery Bottling

Distilled Year: 1972

Bottling Year: 2011

Bottles Produced: 523

Limited Edition: yes

Cask Number: 7038

Category: Single Malt

Country: Japan

Bottle Size: 70cl / 700ml

ABV: 63.3%

The Karuizawa distillery was originally a winery built by Daikoku Budoshu in the mountains of the ski resort town of the same name in Japan’s Nagano prefecture in 1935. In the 1950s direct-fired pot stills were added at Karuizawa and the distillery began making whisky in 1956, producing spirit for Daikoku’s Ocean blend.

Karuizawa tried to emulate the finest Scottish distilleries, using Golden Promise barley and high quality sherry casks. Sadly, with the domestic market in decline, Karuizawa ceased production in 2000 and was later demolished by owners Kirin, who bought Mercian in 2006. Soon afterwards, a series of extraordinary casks were bottled by Number One Drinks, and Karuizawa’s whiskies subsequently soared in value. In 2020 a new Karuizawa Distillers company fronted by Kavalan alumnus Ian Chang revealed that they would be building a distillery at Komoro near Karuizawa.

Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.

This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.

DISCLAIMER

Although a condition report is normally included in the Lot description, we do recommend viewing/close inspection prior to placing any bids. If this is not an option and you have questions beyond the offered description and images, please use the form below "Ask A Question" to make specific enquiries or to receive a more in-depth condition report. Otherwise, Lots will be sold as seen and described.
Please note: due to the various ages of bottles, corks and their seals, condition of liquid is at the buyer's discretion. And no claim can be lodged against failure/leakage in transit.All bottles are checked by our whisky specialists Wayne & Harrison Ormerod prior to any auction. We do not auction opened bottles so therefore all items are sealed unless stated under certain circumstances where seals were never issued by the producer.
No item is deemed new, however many items are generally in good condition. When this is not the case, we aim to mention any faults in the description. The images supplied are of the actual item you will receive. If the filling level of the liquid is not visible in the images provided, we aim to indicate the current position in the description. If the filling level is impossible to determine, such as with ceramics decanters, we will provide an overall weight of the decanter in KG. Our filling level guideline can be found here.
All information in this listing is provided to the best of our knowledge including when we chose to date the age of a bottle. If you are unhappy with the listing or believe there is an error/discrepancy, you should notify us immediately and we will address the Lot accordingly. Placing a bid confirms you have checked the Lot and are satisfied.

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BID HISTORY

BID DATE TIME
Last Bids £2,600.00 19th February 2025 14:26