This Rare Whiskey Trio From a Famous—But Closed—Japanese Distillery Can Be Yours for a Cool $50,000
Today, an extremely limited edition set of Japanese whiskies is going on sale—and, believe it or not, they are not ultra-aged Yamazaki expressions. These are three vintages from the highly regarded Karuizawa distillery, which closed more than two decades ago. This rare collection comes in a specially designed cabinet by artist David Stanley Hewett, each with a price tag of $50,000.
Luxury Japanese whisky retailer Dekantā is selling 50 sets, with a total of 150 bottles, beginning today. The collection is called Acclaim—The Karuizawa Whisky Stage, and includes single malt Japanese whisky distilled between 1999 and 2000 that was matured in sherry casks. The whisky was bottled at high ABVs of 60.8 percent, 61.1 percent, and 61.4 percent, and is the last of this particular liquid. “The Acclaim whisky stage truly is the perfect meeting of luxury Japanese whisky and fine art, making it an incredible collectible piece,” said Dekantā founder and director Makiyo Masa. “I am delighted we have been able to work with David Hewett to bring such a special whisky collection to our clients.”
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Artist David Stanley Hewett has lived in Japan for 30 years, and his work appears in places ranging from the U.S. embassy in Tokyo to the The Ritz Carlton and The Okura Hotel. He created a Wajima Lacquerware cabinet with 24 carat gold leaf layering to house the Acclaim collection, and the bottles are lit from within by LED lights. “Every step of this 18 month long process required minute attention to detail and partnerships with many craftspeople,” said Hewett in a statement. “It has been a wonderful journey seeing those initial sketches turn into a work of art in the real world that I can touch and feel that is probably the most gratifying part of the process.”
As we reported last winter, the Karuizawa distillery is being rebuilt in partnership with Dekantā, and will begin making new whisky at some point in the future. Of course, the name is what really carries on here, as there is no way to actually recreate the original liquid, which has become an expensive cult favorite of aficionados. But Japanese whisky fans will get to try the new spirit in the coming years to see how it stands up. If you are interested in buying the new Acclaim collection, visit the website to reserve one now.
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