Karuizawa Ocean Straight Malt Bottled Pre 1985 10cl

A 10cl bottle of Karuizawa Ocean Straight Malt whisky, distilled and bottled by Sanraku-Ocean Co. Ltd., before the company name changed to simply 'Sanraku' in 1985.

Karuizawa was founded in 1956 by Japanese wine and spirits producer Daikoku Budoshu to supply malt whisky for the company's Ocean blends. Despite a rocky start due to import restrictions, the distillery began importing Golden Promise barley from the UK and producing a Scottish-style spirit which was matured in Spanish sherry casks, though it was still destined for the company's blending vats. By the late 1980s and 1990s, Karuizawa started to earn a reputation as a single malt, but this wasn't enough to stop the distillery closing in 2001 when its owner, by then called Mercian, was acquired by drinks giant Kirin. In 2007, UK bottler Number One Drinks started to release single casks of Karuizawa and these grabbed the attention of whisky fans worldwide. More independent bottlings were to follow, and with stocks depleting, each new release has become a major event in the whisky calendar.

This lot comes from the extensive collection of a Merseyside collector who began his hobby with bottles bought for guests as digestifs at private dinner parties in the early 1970s. His interest led to him advertising in the UK national newspapers, and buying and selling bottles as far afield as Australia, America and Ireland, with his last significant addition being a collection he purchased from Stoke On Trent in 1984.

This Karuizawa Ocean Straight Malt sold at our online auction for £270