This iconic bottle represents more than just an incredible whisky from a now closed distillery, it is the oldest Karuizawa to have been released and one of only 41 bottles.

Originally released in 2013, this Karuizawa embodies the beautiful Japanese craftsmanship for which the distillery’s releases are known. The wooden case is carved from Wenge in the style of a Japanese puzzle box. The calligraphy on Norito Hasegawa’s artisan paper labels was hand painted in Japan by master calligrapher Soji Noshimoto (西本宗璽).

Of the 41 bottles that were produced, each is uniquely identified not by a bottle number, but by an individual character or katabori netsuke (形彫根付) that was carved from the oak cask head of cask #5627. This particular bottle is named ‘Strong Eagle’.

The dark whisky within this exquisite bottle stands at 52 years old and, at the time of its release, the oldest Japanese Whisky ever bottled. Its strength after such a long cask maturation is still an impressive 51.8% and the sherry influence is clear from the rich, dark hue of the liquid inside. This whisky is described as having a nose that conjures images of “old woods in Autumn”, and on the palate, “dense black fruits”, yet only a very select few have had the chance to own and taste this inimitable whisky.