TOKYO – At 9am EST Tuesday December 10th, the world’s foremost online retailer of Japanese whisky, dekantā, will release 30 sets of limited edition Single Malt, distilled at the closed Karuizawa distillery in Japan, to online consumers, on a first-come first-serve basis.

Japanese spirits e-commerce site dekantā is offering whisky enthusiasts internationally the opportunity to own some of the world’s rarest whisky, vintage Karuizawa distilled at the turn of the century, just before the distillery closed. Since the Karuizawa distillery ceased production in 2000, demand for the remaining Karuizawa stock has increased dramatically, along with demand for Japanese whisky in general. The limited stock of Karuizawa whisky that remains is usually sold via auction or ballot. dekantā are offering a rare opportunity for consumers to register interest in the product, without the risk that they will be outbid or out of luck.

Each of the bottles in the Karuizawa 1999-2000 ‘Koinobori’ Series ($12,999 per 3-bottle set; 70cl; 60.7% ABV) carries a limited edition design depicting the Koinobori carp, a potent symbol in Japan of good fortune. Traditional Japanese culture associates the Koinobori with the family: The black Koinobori symbolises the father;  the red is a symbol of the mother; and the small Koinobori in violet, blue or green are symbolic of the children. During some of the country’s most prominent festivals, Koinobori will be seen on the outside of houses in Japan, in honour of the family, to bring good fortune, health and strength. There are 30 sets available of each of the three designs.

The Single Malt in these bottles has been crafted from a range of vintage whiskies distilled at Karuizawa distillery throughout the years 1999-2000. Various cask types and maturities were selected with the aim of creating a complex flavour profile representing Karuizawa’s archetypal taste. “The flavour profile on this whisky is one of the most complex found among Karuizawa expressions,” said dekantā Founder and Director Makiyo Masa. “We feel that the beautiful Koinobori design, a potent symbol of family and good fortune here in Japan, is a fitting palace to house the fine whisky within.”

In February 2018, dekantā’s ballot for a series of Karuizawa whiskies, inspired by cities of Japan, attracted over 3,500 entries for just 150 bottles. “The success of our previous ballots has been indicative of the huge demand and enthusiasm for liquid from the silent Japanese distillery,” said Makiyo Masa. “I’m delighted that, for the first time, we will be offering expressions from Karuizawa for online purchase , rather than a ballot or auction, to give more whisky enthusiasts the opportunity to own one of these stunning bottles.”

Consumers can visit dekanta.com/karuizawa-koinobori/ to reserve a bottle starting on 9am EST on Tuesday 10 December 2019. Bottles will be delivered by the end of April 2020.

Notes to Editors:

dekantā Founder Makiyo Masa and Head of Content Liam Hiller are available for interview.

Please RSVP to arrange, Miriam Rune: miriam@dekanta.com/ +44 7740 339 628.

dekantā Newsroom: https://dekanta.com/press/

Press library: https://dekanta.com/press-library/

About dekantā

dekantā offers the world’s largest online selection of authentic Japanese spirits and, since the opening of its online store in 2015, has delivered to 127 countries across every continent in the world. A family owned and run business, dekantā’s founders have been selling collectibles since 1985 and specialize in rare, collectible, and new release single malt Japanese whisky. dekantā offers worldwide delivery on an extensive range of Japanese single malt whisky, Japanese grain whisky and Japanese blended whisky, in addition to Scottish whisky released for the Japanese market only. More recently, Japanese wine has been introduced through the dekantā Cellar, and spirits from wider Asia through dekantā Oriental.

About Karuizawa

The Karuizawa Distillery was established in 1955 in the foothills of an active volcano Mount Asama. The location was notable for being the highest distillery in Japan at 850m above sea level. Despite being the smallest whisky producer in Japan, Karuizawa had a global reputation for producing first-class malt whiskies. The distillery imported Golden Promise barley from Scotland and aged the majority of its stock in sherry casks. Karuizawa stopped producing whisky in 2000 and has since been known as a ‘silent’ distillery. As global interest in Japanese whisky has grown in recent years, demand for stock from the closed Karuizawa distillery has increased dramatically, along with the price of the remaining bottles. Bottles of Karuizawa have sold for more than £100,000 and the distillery has just overtaken Macallan to become the highest-ranking distillery in terms of the value of its bottles sold at auction (WhiskyStats.net).

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