Karuizawa NAS

Karuizawa NAS is a blended whisky produced at Karuizawa distillery in Nagano Prefecture during the distillery's years of operation under Mercian. Bottled at 35% in a 900ml format for the Japanese domestic market, it represents the entry-level end of the distillery's commercial range, a large-format, lower-strength blend aimed at everyday consumption rather than the collector market that would define Karuizawa after closure in 2000.

Mature in Ex-Bourbon casks, the blend shows the straightforward, light character typical of affordable domestic Japanese whisky from this era: vanilla, soft grain sweetness and a mild oakiness. At 35% it sits below standard bottling strength, reflecting a domestic-market norm of the period. These bottles are now curiosities rather than collectables, but they document a Karuizawa most of the world never knew.