A full set of the four Karuizawa Shibari bottles: 35-year-old sherry-matured single malt distilled in 1981, each bottle tied by hand with coloured rope in a shibari knot pattern. The Tokyo retailer dekantā released 45 sets, 180 bottles in all.
About This Whisky
The whisky came from sherry casks of 1981 Karuizawa, bottled at 35 years old and at cask strength. Each of the four designs has its own colour and knot. Blue is Nawa, white is Nawashi and red is Karada, all three at 60.6%. Black, called Nawa-Do, is slightly lower at 56.5%. dekantā explains that the four colours are the oldest colour words in Japanese, standing for stability, purity, passion and dignity. Buyers were chosen by ballot, and several thousand entries were made for the 45 complete sets.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dark sherry, sultana and dates, with leather, cedar and a trace of incense.
- Palate: Rich and concentrated at full strength. Plum jam, cocoa, black pepper and cinnamon over old oak.
- Finish: Long, with dried red fruit, tobacco and drying spice. The black bottle, at a lower strength, is a little softer.
Serving & Food
If you open the set, taste the four side by side in small tulip glasses at room temperature, starting with the black. Keep still water on the table and add it sparingly. Dark chocolate truffles, roast quail or aged Parmigiano work well between pours.
How to Enjoy
A complete four-colour Shibari set for a Japanese whisky cabinet, or a rare chance to compare four bottlings of the same 1981 spirit.
Product Details
Distillery: Karuizawa (closed)
Country: Japan
Region: Miyota, Nagano
Collection: Shibari, released by dekantā
Vintage: 1981
Age: 35 years
Cask: Sherry casks
Set: Set of 4 bottles: Nawa (blue), Nawashi (white), Karada (red), Nawa-Do (black)
ABV: 60.6% (blue, white, red); 56.5% (black)
Edition Size: 45 sets, 180 bottles
Volume: 700mL each
About the Distillery
After Karuizawa stopped distilling, its remaining casks passed through several hands. A large share went to Number One Drinks, a Japanese whisky importer run by David Croll and Marcin Miller, who bottled it cask by cask.
In 2011 Number One Drinks passed its remaining casks to the Taiwanese collector Eric Huang, who became the largest holder of Karuizawa stock, and smaller parcels went to specialist retailers and bottlers. That is how a Tokyo online shop such as dekantā came to release its own Karuizawa series, first a Cities of Japan collection and then these Shibari bottles.