1960 52 year old

Karuizawa was established in 1955 with the ambition to bring Scottish whisky traditions to Japan. This 1960 release from single cask #5627 is possibly the oldest Japanese whisky ever bottled at 52 years — a testament to the distillery's brief but legendary existence (1956–2001). In March 2020, a bottle of this expression fetched £363,000 at auction, setting a record for Japanese whisky.

Matured in sherry oak hogsheads and bottled at 51.8% abv, this whisky embodies Karuizawa's signature character: Golden Promise barley and volcanic-filtered water from Mount Asama. The packaging, designed by Edinburgh studio Contagious, references traditional Japanese puzzle boxes — a fitting tribute to decades of careful maturation. On the palate, delicate florals and fresh fruit emerge on the nose, followed by dried fruit and spice.

A subtle smokiness threads through both, while oak and smoke define the finish. This is not a bombastic whisky, but a restrained masterpiece — proof that patience and craft transcend geography.