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Next Auction starts Friday 29 March. Bottle Deadline: 18 March.

Karuizawa 1981 Battle of Kawanakajima 35 Year Old 2 x 70cl / Casks #7922 & #226

Lot: 266306

Karuizawa 1981 Battle of Kawanakajima 35 Year Old 2 x 70cl / Casks #7922 & #226

Winning Bid: £14,000

Currency Estimate

Important: Currency exchange rates are constantly changing; this feature is to be used as a guide price only. All final transactions occur in British Pounds (£).
Lot:
Distillery: 
Karuizawa
Age: 
35 Year Old
Vintage: 
1981
Region: 
Japan
Bottler: 
Official
Cask Type: 
Sherry Casks
Bottled Strength: 
see lot description
Bottle Size: 
2 x 70cl
Distillery Status: 
Closed
product Details

Karuizawa 1981 Battle of Kawanakajima 35 Year Old 2 x 70cl / Casks #7922 & #226

Karuizawa distillery was established in 1955 in the town of Miyota on the southern slopes of Mount Asama. It began production the following year, producing single malt for the Ocean blends from Daikoku Budoshu. Initially it was difficult for the distillery to obtain malt, but a lift on import restrictions in 1958 meant the distillery was able to experiment with the production of a Speyside-esque product, importing the same golden promise barely used at Macallan, and sherry casks. The subsequent quality of output saw it appearing in Japan as a single malt for the first time in the 1980s. Sadly, the Japanese whisky market was not strong at the time, and Karuizawa was closed in 2001 by owners, Mercian, and eventually dismantled. Its legacy is lives on however, with its still relocated to other distilleries in Japan, but predominantly in the hugely sought-after single cask releases that began to appear in 2007, from independent bottler, Number One Drinks. It is now one of the most prestige single malts on the planet, the reverence for which only grows as the remaining stock continues to thin.

Bottled at cask strength, this is part of a series of a set of two Battle of Kawanakajima releases. The Battle of Kawanakajima is a work of classical Japanese literature, and has inspired numerous artworks based around its themes, including that used on this label, by Edo era painter, Utagawa Hiroshige.

Both of these limited bottlings were distilled in 1981 and bottled in 2016. Drawn from single sherry casks #266 (57.3%) and #7922 (59.5%) which yielded only 228 bottles each. 

This lot has a shipping fee for 2 bottles. 

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Please note: Due to the various ages of bottles and their seals, condition of liquid is at the buyer's discretion and no claim can be lodged against failure/leakage in transit.