The aristocrat of wine, the legend of Japanese wine - Karuizawa, how can your net worth double?

Karuizawa, the legendary Japanese whisky distillery, is known for producing the world's "most precious and rarest" whisky.

It has set numerous groundbreaking records in the history of Japanese whisky, including producing Japan's first single malt whisky in 1976 and repeatedly setting the record for the most expensive bottle of Japanese whisky sold at auction.

Like many stories in the human world, when Karuizawa was still alive, he was not well-respected. It was not until he passed away that people began to realize his good qualities.

Karuizawa's Life

In 1955, Daikoku Wine invested in and established the Karuizawa Distillery in Karuizawa

In 1956, Karuizawa Distillery started distilling for the first time. At that time, all foreign trade was controlled by the government. In order to protect domestic products, the government strictly controlled imports, making it difficult for the distillery to buy malt.

In 1958, malt import regulations were relaxed, and Daikoku Wine became the first manufacturer to import malt from abroad, which accelerated the production of Karuizawa whisky and quickly became a market leader.

In 1976, the first single malt whisky of Karuizawa was released, and the company continued to upgrade its facilities in Karuizawa.

From the mid-1980s, people's love for whiskey faded. Although the strength of Karuizawa Distillery was actually quite good at that time and was recognized by some people, the whiskey market had declined and its production capacity began to shrink year by year from 1980.

In 2000, it was decided to stop production at the Karuizawa Distillery

In 2001, Karuizawa Pure Malt Whisky 12 Year Old won the gold medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition held in London. Together with Yoichi Single Barrel 10 Year Old, it brought Japanese whisky to the world's highest stage.

In 2013, at the Tokyo International Wine Exhibition, a barrel of Karuizawa whisky, barrel number 5627, distilled in 1960 and bottled in 2013, was sold for 2 million yen per bottle, which was twice the price of the previous record holder, Yamazaki 50 Years Old.

At the end of 2015, the same bottle was sold for HK$918,750, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for a bottle of Japanese whisky at the time.

As of the end of 2017, Karuizawa has topped the global whisky appreciation list for six consecutive years.

However, with so much whisky, how did Karuizawa's value increase several times in just twenty years?
01. It has been discontinued for a long time, so drink one bottle less.

Due to the impact of the Great Depression in Japan, the company decided to stop production in Karuizawa on December 31, 2000, and the factory stopped working.

In 2016, the factory was razed to the ground and all its facilities were auctioned off.

The amount of Karuizawa whisky currently on the market is decreasing.

One less bottle means the remaining value increases, coupled with the limited production, annual auction news and hype from all sides, the price is getting higher and higher.

Although Karuizawa was only praised after it stopped production, there are thousands of wineries that have closed down, so it is certainly extraordinary that Karuizawa can become famous all over the world.

02. Good raw materials and sophisticated equipment
Karuizawa Distillery is Japan's smallest and most unique distillery

In order to make the quality of the wine comparable to the best whisky - Macallan, Karuizawa spared no expense to import 100% Golden Promise barley (the same variety used by Macallan) and peat from Scotland.

Moreover, more than 90% of Karuizawa's original sake is aged in European red oak sherry barrels.

Karuizawa's distillation equipment is also different from other distilleries. It uses a still with a capacity of only 4,000 liters.

This is equivalent to one-fifth of the stills commonly used in distilleries.

The smaller the capacity, the more time-consuming the distillation, but it also improves the quality of the wine.

03. Adhere to traditional brewing techniques and create traditional Scottish flavor
Karuizawa has always used the traditional direct fire heating distillation technology that has long been eliminated

This technology was considered extremely uneconomical and inefficient, but Karuizawa held on tightly and continued to use this most traditional craft until the factory closed. This persistence also created Karuizawa's current reputation.

Because they always use traditional and old-fashioned techniques, Karuizawa's wine has a strong peat flavor, obvious oil texture and a heavy body.

In a way, Karuizawa is more traditionally Scottish than Scottish single malt whisky.

Hua Zai once heard this saying: If a bottle of wine costs more than 300 yuan, then you are not only buying wine, but also a dream.

Karuizawa distills not only wine, but also the Japanese craftsmanship, which is worth learning from.

At the end of the article, let’s appreciate some of Karuizawa’s more classic wines.

Hongkang Trading Company believes that the design of these series of wine labels is quite artistic.

Geisha Series

Geisha is a series launched by Ichiban, Karuizawa's main bottling company. Its characteristic is that different Japanese geisha portraits are printed on the wine label.

Strictly speaking, Geisha cannot be considered a series, because the wines used, the years, and the prices are not selected according to a unified standard, and the number of releases is also not unified. But because the label is very distinctive, it is considered a series by wine lovers.

In 2016, a complete set of 27 bottles of Karuizawa Geisha series was auctioned at Bonhams in Hong Kong and sold for HK$1,102,500 (approximately RMB 930,000).

Energy Series

"Noh" originated from the Japanese classical musical "Noh", which is a stage aesthetic performance that combines dance, drama, music and poetry. It is also one of the traditional arts of Japan.

The Noh series refers to Karuizawa whisky produced with the Noh mask as the label. Currently, there are 35 types of masks on sale. Most of them are old men, young men and women, full of a strong sense of classical art.

Although the properties of each bottle of wine are very different, they are also called a series by wine lovers because of their unique labels.

The most expensive whisky in the series is the 41-year-old single barrel single malt whisky, which sold for $20,562 per bottle in March 2021 (about 138,000 yuan).

Samurai Series

"Samurai" means warrior in Japanese kanji.

The Bushido spirit that Japan advocates is the core of Japanese cultural spirit and has a profound influence on the Japanese national character. Today, the lifestyle and spiritual beliefs of the Japanese are all marked by the Bushido spirit.

The Samurai series is released in Taiwan, China. There are 10 bottles in the series. The bottle body uses the elements of Ukiyo-e as the wine label, which is more common in Taiwan.

The most expensive of the current Samurai series is a 10-bottle 30-year-old single malt combination set, which sold for $73,574 per set (approximately RMB 495,000) in March 2021.

Life Water Series

The Eau de Toilette is also a series unique to Taiwan, China. It is divided into two colors, black and white, and each color has five types, namely 30 years, 35 years, 40 years, 45 years, and 50 years. The whole set consists of ten bottles, which is the top dream product.

This is the earliest Karuizawa label, also known as the "circle label" due to the obvious circle on the front label (left in the above picture)

This series is mainly shipped by the original factory, only small head bottles

There is a special series with double circle mark (on the right of the picture above), and the price is much higher than the ordinary circle mark

Hongkang Trading Company provides you with professional services to purchase Karuizawa series whiskey at high prices.

The Karuizawa collection is renowned for its rarity and unique taste, making it highly sought after by wine enthusiasts. We understand the value of these rare wines and are happy to offer you the most competitive price.

Our team has the experience and expertise to accurately evaluate your Karuizawa wines and offer you the best price based on market conditions. We are committed to providing a secure and transparent transaction process to protect your interests.

Hongkang Trading Company offers professional recycling services , ensuring a convenient and comfortable transaction experience. If you own a bottle of Karuizawa whisky or other valuable whisky, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to providing you with the highest quality recycling services , making the disposal of your collection a breeze.