Karuizawa, the "Conti" of whiskies

In 2001, Karuizawa Pure Malt Whisky 12 Yo won a gold medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, marking the beginning of Japanese whisky's journey to winning top honors in various competitions worldwide. Subsequently, Karuizawa continued to break records for the highest price ever paid for Japanese whisky at auctions.

      At the 2013 Tokyo International Bar Show/Whisky Live, a bottle of Karuizawa 1960 single malt whisky sold for nearly 2 million yen (approximately 120,000 yuan), double the price of the previous record holder, Yamazaki 50 Year Old.

      In 2015, the 1960 Karuizawa set a new record, selling for HK$918,750 (approximately RMB 788,600) at a Bonhams auction in Hong Kong, becoming the most expensive single bottle of Japanese whisky ever sold at auction. Following this auction, Whisky Magazine, based on its Whisky Magazine Index (WMI), named Karuizawa the "World's Most Valuable Investment Whisky." This honor had previously been held by Macallan for nine consecutive years.

      In 2018, the 1960 Harizawa statue sold for HK$2,450,000 (approximately RMB 2.15 million) at Bonhams auction in Hong Kong.

      Due to a decline in public interest in whisky and poor business performance, the company decided to cease production in Karuizawa on December 31, 2000, and the factory shut down. In 2016, the factory was razed to the ground, and all its facilities were auctioned off. The remaining Karuizawa whisky on the market is becoming increasingly scarce, meaning each bottle consumed increases its value. Coupled with the already limited production, annual auction news, and speculation from various parties, prices continue to rise.

      It's often said that Karuizawa is all the more precious because it's gone, but countless distilleries have closed down, so Karuizawa's worldwide fame is certainly due to something extraordinary. Although for a long time initially, Karuizawa's purpose was simply to provide malt whisky for Sanroku Orson's inexpensive blended whisky (a very small percentage, so small that it had little impact on the final product), the distillery always valued the Karuizawa brewery.

(Images and text sourced from the internet)