The New Japanese Whisky Distillery Calling Itself By An Award Successful Title

Karuizawa is producing whisky once more. “After greater than 20 years Japan’s most legendary whisky distillery is again,” proclaims the official press launch. It’s an thrilling enterprise, however begin studying into the “reopening” and also you may be left questioning what precisely is happening.

The unique Karuizawa distillery closed in 2001. In 2016 the location was demolished. Since then it has change into an internationally famend model, clocking up awards and turning into probably the most useful whiskies on the earth. 

Now a brand new distillery, inbuilt a unique location—it’s now within the city of Karuizawa itself—is producing whisky beneath the Karuizawa title. The reopening has given rise to some attention-grabbing discussions. Finally, the dialogue on what makes a distillery worthy of any specific title is a dialog that’s related not simply to Karuizawa

The Rise And Fall Of Karuizawa

The unique Karuizawa distillery was based as a vineyard in 1934 and started distilling whisky in 1956. Like most scotch on the time the whisky was largely utilized in mixing, apart from a restricted variety of single malt releases within the Nineteen Eighties and 90s. These single malts had been reasonably profitable in Japan, nonetheless, in 2001 Karuizawa grew to become a sufferer of the recognition of Shochu. It was closed in favor of whiskies that had been higher suited to mixing necessities of the time. A number of hundred casks remained and had been launched as single malts intermittently, these went on to change into extremely wanted collector’s whiskies. And if this story sounds acquainted you’re not imagining issues; an identical state of affairs occurred with Port Ellen, Brora and Rosebank within the Nineteen Eighties. All poignant examples, as we’ll see under.

In 2007 Quantity One Drinks grew to become licensed worldwide distributors for Karuizawa, which was owned by Kirin on the time. In 2011, regardless of considered one of their early releases profitable an award in the identical 12 months, the distillery was completely closed and Quantity One Drinks purchased the ultimate casks in bulk. A few of these had been bottled and launched by Quantity One Drinks, whereas some casks had been additionally offered to different worldwide bottlers.

In 2015 Whisky Magazine introduced that Karuizawa had toppled The Macallan from the primary spot of their MWI (Malt Whisky Index). By 2017 whisky from the closed distillery was setting more records. However it was too late. By March 2016 the demolition of the unique Karuizawa distillery was full.

The New Karuizawa Distillery

In 2022 a brand new distillery constructed within the city of Karuizawa quietly opened. It has been constructed by Shigeru Totsuka round 7 km from the unique web site, however makes use of the identical water supply and has the identical local weather. For the development Totsuka enlisted the assistance of Osami Uchibori as an advisor. Uchibori was the Grasp Distiller on the authentic Karuizawa distillery earlier than it closed giving an unparalleled continuity to the manufacturing between the brand new and outdated distillery.

Uchibori sadly handed away earlier than the completion of the brand new distillery. Totsuka was lucky to additionally work alongside Uchibori’s apprentice, Yoshiyuki Nakazato, who’s now Grasp Distiller on the new Karuizawa. This continuity between outdated and new is a core a part of the brand new setup. However the crew acknowledges that the brand new spirit may have variations.

“Whereas they’re working to recreate the identical profile of spirit, it is going to after all not be a carbon copy of the liquid produced pre-2000,” a spokesperson for Dekanta, who’re working alongside Karuizawa for worldwide advertising, defined to me over e-mail.

“There’s additionally actual continuity past simply the title, most profoundly in each the personnel and strategies. Each Uchibori-San and Nakazato-San had been reunited to advise and lead the distillation, with Nakazato-San now the Grasp Distiller. Given a lot of the distillation course of is guide, he brings his personal hands-on expertise with him.”

The tools is new however constructed to duplicate the outdated setup. “The Forsyth stills are constructed as replicas of the originals, full with idiosyncrasies (slim downward lynearms, a pinch within the neck and flat bottoms).”

They’ve prolonged their honoring of the outdated in different areas too. The wooden has been fastidiously sourced to replicate the sherry seasoning the world has come to count on from world class Karuizawa. “The casks are virtually completely first-fill Oloroso casks, ‘actual’ bodega casks versus seasoned.” Karuizawa was as soon as the smallest distillery in Japan, and the capability of the brand new distillery will probably be even decrease at round 110,000L per 12 months.

What’s In A Title?

In a latest article on the opening Dave Broom summed up the final situation round the usage of the Karuizawa title:

“The difficulty isn’t the opening of a brand new distillery in Karuizawa—in spite of everything Komoro is already up and operating there. It lies within the title, and the straightforward manner that this reality may be blurred in order that individuals are led to imagine that that is the outdated place reopening. The usage of the identical title for the brand new distillery and whisky is buying and selling on the goodwill and fame of the outdated, demolished, distillery.”

I perceive and fully respect this sentiment. It is necessary that buyers perceive what it’s they’re shopping for. However the actuality of the whisky business is the rebuilding, relocating and altering of distillery names is one thing that has been achieved again and again.

In 2018 one other “new” distillery opened. This 12 months they’ve honored the brand new spirit produced of their painstakingly recreated “reproduction” stills. That distillery is, after all, Macallan. Not like Karuizawa, Macallan’s new distillery didn’t elicit a debate over whether or not they might proceed to make use of the title Macallan. But there are a number of similarities with what’s occurred at Karuizawa: related web site, identical water, identical employees. 

Newer examples may be seen within the spate of “closed” or “silent” distilleries which have reopened over the previous couple of years. Brora reopened in 2021 (closed 1983), Rosebank in 2023 (closed 1993), and Port Ellen after years of delays lastly produced its first spirit once more in 2024 (closed 1983). All three distilleries needed to be fully rebuilt, with new tools and so far as we will inform—completely different grasp distillers.

Loads of distilleries began off in several places, or with completely different names, or each. The Brora distillery was the Clynelish distillery till they constructed a brand new Clynelish subsequent door—the unique distillery was briefly closed and reopened beneath the title Brora. That distillery closed in 1983 and reopened in 2021 to a lot acclaim.

Within the US the whisky business works in a different way to Scotland, with giant centralized distilleries making whisky for a number of manufacturers. The Buffalo Hint distillery produces the whisky for a minimum of 17 manufacturers, together with Buffalo Hint, George T Stagg, Blanton’s and Pappy Van Winkle. Are they deceptive their customers too, or is the model what’s necessary?

Should you’re nonetheless unsure, let’s give it some thought a barely completely different manner: Would you question Rolex or Ferrari in the event that they moved their manufacturing unit, purchased new tools or changed their head of design? Or do you simply care that its design and creation has been overseen by the manufacturing line of the model you belief?

A model is greater than only a location, a creator or a bottle; a model sits above and encompasses all of these issues. And sure, the belief with the brand new Karuizawa should nonetheless be earned, but it surely being someplace else just isn’t motive to dismiss it.

Now We Wait

To criticize the crew behind the rebirth of the Karuizawa distillery over how, the place, or by whom the whisky is created, is definitely to attract consideration to the discrepancies in the entire of the business. The whisky market is dominated by manufacturers. Definitely manufacturers construct their reputations on high quality, however at a sure level it goes past that, and people manufacturers have change into as a lot concerning the standing image because the drink.

I’m not saying that the present establishment is correct or fallacious, however possibly we shouldn’t be criticizing Karuizawa and the crew behind it for doing one thing that’s frequent throughout the business. As an alternative possibly we ought to be taking a look at this business as an entire and seeing if we will make it clearer for customers.

“I try to supply a liquid that each respects and surpasses the outdated Karuizawa whisky,” explains Yoshiyuki Nakazato, Grasp Distiller at Karuizawa. Finally the proof over whether or not the crew have recreated a whisky that deserves the Karuizawa title gained’t come for an additional 10 years, which is their minimal growing old interval.