At dekanta, we’re delighted to announce that we have officially partnered with the new Karuizawa Distillery. 

Built by Mr Shigeru Totsuka-san and his investors, it is situated in the town of Karuizawa itself, known for its stunning year round vistas that range from vibrant green and yellow forests in the summer months to gleaming snow covered peaks that attract skiers from around the globe in the winter. 

They have put together a team composed of ex-Mercian Karuizawa Distillery Master Distiller Osami Uchibori, who has come on board as an advisor, and former Karuizawa distiller Yoshiyuki Nakazato as Master Distiller.

The distillery aims to continue the long and rich legacy of whisky-making in Karuizawa. Mr Totsuka-san announced, “Our first goal is to make whisky that is very similar to the old Karuizawa whisky, to continue that tradition, and then we may challenge other offerings, but our first goal is definitely to make whisky that is as good as the old Karuizawa whisky, using the person who made it, similar casks, similar stills etc. We want to create some of the very best single malt in Japan.”

To do this, they will age their whisky in the finest quality sherry casks, and only release their single malt whiskies once they reach 10 years old. That means we will be waiting a while to get our lips around some of the precious liquid from the new Karuizawa Distillery, but it also tells us the team that Totsuka-san has put together are dedicated to protecting the legacy of the Karuizawa Distillery, and that they are not willing to rush the job.

It’s an incredibly exciting venture that is set up nicely to succeed. With a fantastic team on board in the form of highly successful Master Distillers and advisors, who exhibit a dedication to protect what came before them, and a lack of any rush to do so, they have all of the necessary ingredients to be a brilliant Japanese whisky distillery.

Our Partnership

At dekanta, we are always looking to be at the forefront of progress in the Japanese whisky industry and so it made perfect sense to partner with such a promising, up and coming distillery. What’s more, it’s no secret that we adore Karuizawa whisky, have bottled many exciting expressions over the years, and so, working hand in hand with the new distillery is something of a dream come true for all of us. 

dekanta CEO, Makiyo Masa, expressed her delight at the partnership, “This is an amazing day for dekanta and an amazing day for Japanese whisky. The Karuizawa Distillery is one of the best whisky distilleries of all time, and we are so excited about working together with the new Karuizawa Distillery to bring more of this outstanding whisky to our loyal customers around the world. We cannot wait to get started!”

While Karuizawa CEO, Shigeru Totsuka, said “We wanted to partner with someone who is able to do premium, high-end bottlings of fantastic whisky because we want to protect the Karuizawa brand and ensure it is always regarded as the best. I think dekanta is the best partner for doing this on an international level.”

Future Offerings

Working closely with the Karuizawa Distillery, we plan to bring a range of truly unique and exciting bottlings to our customers around the world. Of course, the first release will not come for another 10 years, but when it does, it’s sure to be magnificent. 

However, if you can’t wait that long, we may have some other exciting offers for you before then. We cannot say too much just yet, but this could range from trips to the distillery, to opportunities for private cask ownership. 

We simply can’t wait to bring you all of the latest news, updates and offerings from the distillery. 

Here’s to a historic partnership…Kampai!