Business 65 – This Incredibly Rare Japanese Whisky Is Now Available To Purchase Online

  • 投稿カテゴリー:Business

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Warm up

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  2. What are your responses in your role / position?
  3. Can you describe to the function of your workplace / company?
  4. How many departments, how many offices. National or International?
  5. What are the minimum requirements for employment ie Education or Experience?
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General discussion about your workweek:

  1. Current projects? Deadlines? Opportunities?
  2. Anything of interest happening?

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Script

1. When Karuizawa Distillery shuttered in 2000, Japanese whisky was an unknown commodity upon the global stage. Since then, of course, the category’s fortunes have shifted quite substantially. Today it’s near impossible to find age statement grain spirit from the Far East. 

2.  Somewhere in the interim, connoisseurs collectively decided that whisky from Karuizawa was worthy of an almost mystical reverence. It’s not uncommon to see it fetch upwards of $60,000 a bottle at auction. If that’s a little bit beyond accessibility, online retailer dekantā now stocks a wider selection of the brand than ever before available through a single source.

3.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder. So, perhaps the astronomical price tags attached to these whiskies is attributable to the fact that you’ll never be able to get more of it. In 2012, the land on which the mothballed facility once sat was sold and the equipment responsible for this storied juice was dissembled. The dwindling supply that still exists in the barrel or bottle is all that’s left on this earth.

4. It would be easy to dismiss it as well-positioned marketing, aimed at leveraging a scant supply against a sweltering demand. Yes, but…This is also just exceptional whisky. And anyone lucky enough to have sampled it would be hard-pressed to suggest otherwise.

5. stablished in 1955, all of the liquid from the Nagano-based brand rolled off just 4 small copper pot stills. Much of it was then laid down in ex-sherry butts, still fresh with the deep, dark fruit tonalities of the fortified wine.

6. Its unique geographic position—the highest distillery in all of Japan—birthed a distinctive microclimate of low temperatures and high humidity. The result: a discernible house fingerprint expressed in each bottle. This was ‘craft’ whisky long before the term was PR de rigueur.

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7. The 50 Year Old Single Cask Sherry release is a prime example of said exceptionality. Laid down in the mid-1960s, it didn’t see the bottle until 2015. With rich and rounded fruit edges, the whisky showcases incredible vibrance for such an old spirit. Dekantā offers theirs for $39,000, packaged with an ink plate, brush and stamp within a signature wooden box.

8. They will ship it to you anywhere in the world within 10 days. A seemingly obscene cost, to be sure. But when you consider that only 200 bottles came to market—ever, this release remains a compelling investment if you’re disciplined enough to resist sampling the goods.
9. It’s also a relative bargain compared to ‘Aqua of Life,’ another half century offering that the site currently peddles for $70,000. Closer down to earth, bottles that are still notable can be found for less than $4000—including the brand’s 15 Year Old 100% Malt Whisky. Another potential investment arrives in the form of Cask 125 from Karuizawa’s Geisha Series. A 16 year old example is available or $3800, laid down in sherry casks just months before the distillery shut down in 2000.
10. If you’re determined to sip on even a small drop of Karuizawa spirit, you can purchase a bottle of Black Ocean for just $250. Sanraku-Ocean Co., Ltd crafted the blended malt using whisky from the shuttered producer along with aged liquid from the Yamanashi distillery.
11. All told, dekantā maintains a selection of over 100 Karuizawa labels. Depending on your budget, this assortment will either be greatly appreciated or a source of staggering consternation. But it is out there, either way. And without a working distillery to make more of it, there will surely be less of it with each passing day.
Discussion

1. Have you heard of Karuizawa whisky before? if yes tell me more about it

2. Is the whisky industry a big industry in Japan? What industries do you think are big in Japan?

3. What is your favourite Whisky?