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More about Karuizawa Distillery
Status Closed & demolished
Established: 1956
Owner: Kirin Holdings Company Limited
Capacity: No longer operational
Visitor Policy: Not generally accessible
Tel: No longer operational
Website: No longer operational
Established: 1956
Owner: Kirin Holdings Company Limited
Capacity: No longer operational
Visitor Policy: Not generally accessible
Tel: No longer operational
Website: No longer operational
Sadly the Karuizawa distillery closed at the end of 2011 after more than a decade of inactivity. Pronounced ‘karo-zau-wa’ and named after and sited close to the town of Karuizawa high in the Japanese Alps, the distillery sat on the southern slopes of Mount Asama. This active volcano last erupted in early February 2009 and the malt it produced also has something of a reputation for being powerful.
Address
1795-2 Oaza Maseguchi
Miyotamachi
Kitasakugun
389-0207
Nagano Prefecture
Japan
Miyotamachi
Kitasakugun
389-0207
Nagano Prefecture
Japan
Originally a vineyard, distilling at Karuizawa started in 1956 as one of three distilleries owned by the Mercian company who produced a whisky blended from all three distilleries. Karuizawa was the smallest distillery in Japan but in the late 1980s Mercian launched Karuizawa as a single malt still sought after by those in the know.
