Karuizawa Asama

Karuizawa was a single malt distillery in Nagano Prefecture at the foot of Mt. Asama volcano, producing whisky from 1956 until its closure in 2000 and demolished in 2016. The distillery used small pot stills, imported Golden Promise barley and predominantly sherry cask maturation under the Mercian group. Karuizawa Asama is a NAS expression presented in a 720ml format for the Japanese domestic market at 43%, drawing on spirit from the closed distillery's stocks.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon oak, Asama takes a notably lighter path than the richly sherried single cask releases from the distillery archive. Vanilla, soft orchard fruit and light spice characterise the profile, with the bourbon wood lending a softer, more open texture than sherry maturation would. At 43% it is more approachable than the cask strength single casks, giving a measured entry point into Karuizawa spirit at a time when stocks from the Nagano site are finite and diminishing.