What Affects The Price Of Karuizawa Whisky
Do you want to know the value of your bottle of Karuizawa whisky?
We can value your whisky and help you find the best price for your bottle if you are looking to sell your Karuizawa.
Discover The Price Of Your Karuizawa Whisky With Mark Littler Ltd
Mark Littler Ltd specialise in the valuation and sale of bottles of Karuizawa whisky and can help you get the best price for your bottle.
We have brokered the sale of thousands of bottles of whisky and can use our expert industry knowledge to give you an honest, impartial price for your bottle of Karuizawa.
If you are looking to sell your whisky we can source no obligation offers from our international network of buyers. We can also advise whether an auction or private sale will be best for you.
Mark Littler Ltd are proud to offer the highest level of expert advice to our clients and we have over 250 independent, five-star reviews.
Please get in touch for a no obligation valuation on your bottle of Karuizawa.
Free Valuation Request
The History Of Karuizawa
Originally established by Mercian, Karuizawa is the producer of some of the world’s most highly regarded and sought-after Japanese single malts. The name is taken from a spa town at the base of Mount Asama that can be found when you are travelling to Nagano from Tokyo. It was the site of the Olympic Games in 1998 and is considered to be an extremely sacred and holy area.
The distillery was originally built during the 60s and was at the time owned by Sanraku, a sake brand. Everything takes place in one building, from mashing to the fermentation and distillation. Although the water they use comes from the Asama, they import selected malt from Scotland along with many of the company’s casks.
Karuizawa’s 12, 15, 17 and 21-year-old malt bottlings won medals at London’s International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2001 and are also responsible for the highly desirable Vintage range. This was launched in 2002 and consists of cask strength, un-chill-filtered single malts. There are other ranges from Karuizawa that are imported and bottled by Number One Drinks, across Europe, such as Noh and Number One Drinks. These varieties are considered to have a more unique taste and character.
The Karuizawa distillery produced outstanding whisky, many of their releases have received international acclaim. They have created almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rare over time.
What To Look For
Recently, a bottle of 52-year-old bottle of Karuizawa Single Cask sold for over £100,000. The bottle was distilled in 1960 and matured in single ex-sherry cask #5627 that eventually yielded only 41 bottles. Each of the 41 bottles was individually named and adorned with a unique katabori netsuke (carved figurine) which hangs from each of the bottle necks. The bottle most-recently sold was named “The Archer” as the figurine is carrying a bow and arrow.
The packaging of Karuizawa bottles is no-less spectacular; adopting an East-meets-West approach, it features a pair of Washi (Japanese paper – the word “washi” comes from wa meaning ‘Japanese’ and shi meaning ‘paper’) labels; one of the labels is hand-painted in Japan, the other is printed in Glasgow. The inner box being consists of a traditional Japanese puzzle-box, made in England from dark Wenge wood, and embellished with pieces of their respective casks. By contrast, the outer box is produced from lightly coloured White Ash wood, this box was designed to create visual representation of the whisky’s cask storage; a beautiful wooden exterior with a charred wooden interior, protecting the whisky stored within.
The Six Factors That Affect The Price Of Karuizawa Whisky
There are six factors that will affect the price of your bottle of Karuizawa. These are the age of the whisky, the bottling date, the vintage, whether it is a single cask edition, the level of the whisky and the condition of the label and box.
Age of Whisky
This refers to the number of years the whisky has spent maturing in the cask, not how long it has been in the bottle. The age is indicated on the label and can vary from 5 to over 30 years old.
Bottling Date
This relates to when the whisky was bottled. As bottles from a specific year are consumed, the remaining bottles become rarer, so a ‘standard’ malt released in the 1980’s can become sought after.
Distillation Year
The distillation year refers to the specific year in which the whisky was distilled (made). It is one of the most important factors that can impact the price of your bottle of Karuizawa.
Label & Packaging
The label on a bottle of Karuizawa is very important and if it is damaged in any way then this will have a negative impact on the value. A bottle without its original box could be worth up to 30% less.
Level
The level of the whisky has a large impact on the value. It should be into the neck (the narrow part). As alcohol is more volatile than water it is the alcohol that will evaporate first, which damages the flavour.
Single Cask Bottlings
Single cask bottlings are generally more sought after, as by default they are unique. Look out for numbers on your bottle like XXX/250, which would indicate a single cask edition.
The Process of Selling Your Bottle Of Karuizawa
The process to get a no-obligation quote for your bottle of whisky is easy.
Send us details about your bottle directly via email or use the form below.
We contact our international network of customers for the best offers.
If you decide to proceed with an offer we issue you with a contract.
Send us your bottle. We have a fully insured courier service available.
We complete the sale with the buyer and send your funds via BACS.
What is the price of your Karuizawa whisky?
In order to provide you with an accurate valuation please provide as much of the below information as you can.
There is more information about each section below the form.
Bottle Selling FAQ
-
The easiest way for us to give you a price for your bottle of whisky is to send us a photograph of your bottle. The picture should be of the bottle standing up, please include the box if you have it.
We use the photograph to check:
- The condition of the bottle, label and box
- The level of the spirit, as this has the biggest effect on value and varies even if the bottle has not been opened
Please send you images to [email protected] or use the contact form below
-
Selling your whisky with Mark Littler Ltd is the same process as selling at auction, except you know the price you are going to achieve beforehand.
The process is simple:
- Once you have accepted an offer, we issue you a contract which you return with your bottle. You can use our fully insured courier service to send us your bottle (see below).
- Once we receive the bottle we arrange a meeting with the buyer and complete the sale.
- Once the sale is complete we send you the balance minus our commission, and postage charge if you decide to use our courier service. This is usually between 1 – 5 days after receiving the bottle.
Our commission is 10%, including VAT.
-
Once the contract has been signed you send your bottle to Mark Littler, you can arrange this yourself, or you can use our fully insured courier service.
Our courier service includes all packing material and is insured up to £40,000. It also includes a pre-paid return postage label and an instruction sheet on how to pack your bottle.
Once packed you simply drop the parcel at your local post office.
The cost for this service is £15.
-
When we have completed the sale we send the balance via BACS using the details you provide us in the contract.
Payment is usually between 1 – 5 days of receiving your bottle, the average is within 48 hours.
“I found Mark’s details online after looking to sell a collectable bottle of whisky. I was going to use a well know auction site but Mark secured an offer higher than the highest estimation from any auction house, within days, even after the 10% commission was deducted. Communication was perfect; punctual, to the point and polite. Collection and delivery were taken care of by Mark and instruction was clear and easy to follow. Payment was received to my bank within days of posting the bottle. I can’t recommend Mark enough; he runs a tight ship gets top end offers from his clients and delivers quickly.”
Rod Fountain, via Google
“Mark has been very helpful in helping me sell a bottle of whisky which was given to my father many years ago. He was very professional and was always quick to reply to my questions. Not knowing anything about whisky, Mark was there to offer some good advice and I believe he is very knowledgeable about his work. The sale was done very [quickly], and the money was in my bank account the next day. I would highly recommend his services.”
Kim Hendrickx, via Google
“Wow, what a refreshing change it was to meet Mark. He was the consummate professional with an approachable and warm personality who clearly had an in-depth knowledge of his subject which he used to give me a first-class service when I wanted to sell a whisky collection. For anyone who is considering any similar specialist whisky transactions I can certainly recommend him without reservation.”
Duncan Chambers, via Google
Have you ever wondered what your bottle of Japanese whisky is worth?
Use this guide to find out more or get in touch using the form below for a free valuation.
The History Of Karuizawa
Originally established by Mercian, Karuizawa is the producer of some of the world’s most highly regarded and sought-after Japanese single malts. The name is taken from a spa town at the base of Mount Asama that can be found when you are travelling to Nagano from Tokyo. It was the site of the Olympic Games in 1998 and is considered to be an extremely sacred and holy area.
The distillery was originally built during the 60s and was at the time owned by Sanraku, a sake brand. Everything takes place in one building, from mashing to the fermentation and distillation. Although the water they use comes from the Asama, they import selected malt from Scotland along with many of the company’s casks.
Karuizawa’s 12, 15, 17 and 21-year-old malt bottlings won medals at London’s International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2001 and are also responsible for the highly desirable Vintage range. This was launched in 2002 and consists of cask strength, un-chill-filtered single malts. There are other ranges from Karuizawa that are imported and bottled by Number One Drinks, across Europe, such as Noh and Number One Drinks. These varieties are considered to have a more unique taste and character.
The Karuizawa distillery produced outstanding whisky, many of their releases have received international acclaim. They have created almost 300 single casks which are becoming increasingly rare over time.
Mark Littler Ltd specialise in the valuation and sale of bottles of whisky and can help you get the best price for your bottle. Contact us for a free valuation using the form below, and read on for more information on your bottle.
Free Valuation Request
What To Look For
Recently, a bottle of 52-year-old bottle of Karuizawa Single Cask sold for over £100,000. The bottle was distilled in 1960 and matured in single ex-sherry cask #5627 that eventually yielded only 41 bottles. Each of the 41 bottles was individually named and adorned with a unique katabori netsuke (carved figurine) which hangs from each of the bottle necks. The bottle most-recently sold was named “The Archer” as the figurine is carrying a bow and arrow.
The packaging of Karuizawa bottles is no-less spectacular; adopting an East-meets-West approach, it features a pair of Washi (Japanese paper – the word “washi” comes from wa meaning ‘Japanese’ and shi meaning ‘paper’) labels; one of the labels is hand-painted in Japan, the other is printed in Glasgow. The inner box being consists of a traditional Japanese puzzle-box, made in England from dark Wenge wood, and embellished with pieces of their respective casks. By contrast, the outer box is produced from lightly coloured White Ash wood, this box was designed to create visual representation of the whisky’s cask storage; a beautiful wooden exterior with a charred wooden interior, protecting the whisky stored within.
The Six Factors That Affect The Price Of Karuizawa Whisky
There are six factors that will affect the price of your bottle of Karuizawa. These are the age of the whisky, the bottling date, the vintage, whether it is a single cask edition, the level of the whisky and the condition of the label and box.
Age of Whisky
This refers to the number of years the whisky has spent maturing in the cask, not how long it has been in the bottle. The age is indicated on the label and can vary from 5 to over 30 years old.
Bottling Date
This relates to when the whisky was bottled. As bottles from a specific year are consumed, the remaining bottles become rarer, so a ‘standard’ malt released in the 1980’s can become sought after.
Distillation Year
The distillation year refers to the specific year in which the whisky was distilled (made). It is one of the most important factors that can impact the price of your bottle of Karuizawa.
Label & Packaging
The label on a bottle of Karuizawa is very important and if it is damaged in any way then this will have a negative impact on the value. A bottle without its original box could be worth up to 30% less.
Level
The level of the whisky has a large impact on the value. It should be into the neck (the narrow part). As alcohol is more volatile than water it is the alcohol that will evaporate first, which damages the flavour.
Single Cask Bottlings
Single cask bottlings are generally more sought after, as by default they are unique. Look out for numbers on your bottle like XXX/250, which would indicate a single cask edition.
The Process of Selling Your Bottle Of Karuizawa
The process to get a no-obligation quote for your bottle of whisky is easy.
Send us details about your bottle directly via email or use the form below.
We contact our international network of customers for the best offers.
If you decide to proceed with an offer we issue you with a contract.
Send us your bottle. We have a fully insured courier service available.
We complete the sale with the buyer and send your funds via BACS.
What is the price of your Karuizawa whisky?
In order to provide you with an accurate valuation please provide as much of the below information as you can.
Bottle Selling FAQ
-
The easiest way for us to give you a price for your bottle of whisky is to send us a photograph of your bottle. The picture should be of the bottle standing up, please include the box if you have it.
We use the photograph to check:
- The condition of the bottle, label and box
- The level of the spirit, as this has the biggest effect on value and varies even if the bottle has not been opened
Please send you images to [email protected] or use the contact form below
-
Selling your whisky with Mark Littler Ltd is the same process as selling at auction, except you know the price you are going to achieve beforehand.
The process is simple:
- Once you have accepted an offer, we issue you a contract which you return with your bottle. You can use our fully insured courier service to send us your bottle (see below).
- Once we receive the bottle we arrange a meeting with the buyer and complete the sale.
- Once the sale is complete we send you the balance minus our commission, and postage charge if you decide to use our courier service. This is usually between 1 – 5 days after receiving the bottle.
Our commission is 10%, including VAT.
-
Once the contract has been signed you send your bottle to Mark Littler, you can arrange this yourself, or you can use our fully insured courier service.
Our courier service includes all packing material and is insured up to £40,000. It also includes a pre-paid return postage label and an instruction sheet on how to pack your bottle.
Once packed you simply drop the parcel at your local post office.
The cost for this service is £15.
-
When we have completed the sale we send the balance via BACS using the details you provide us in the contract.
Payment is usually between 1 – 5 days of receiving your bottle, the average is within 48 hours.
Testimonials
“I found Mark’s details online after looking to sell a collectable bottle of whisky. I was going to use a well know auction site but Mark secured an offer higher than the highest estimation from any auction house, within days, even after the 10% commission was deducted. Communication was perfect; punctual, to the point and polite. Collection and delivery were taken care of by Mark and instruction was clear and easy to follow. Payment was received to my bank within days of posting the bottle. I can’t recommend Mark enough; he runs a tight ship gets top end offers from his clients and delivers quickly.”
Rod Fountain, via Google
“Mark has been very helpful in helping me sell a bottle of whisky which was given to my father many years ago. He was very professional and was always quick to reply to my questions. Not knowing anything about whisky, Mark was there to offer some good advice and I believe he is very knowledgeable about his work. The sale was done very [quickly], and the money was in my bank account the next day. I would highly recommend his services.”
Kim Hendrickx, via Google
“Wow, what a refreshing change it was to meet Mark. He was the consummate professional with an approachable and warm personality who clearly had an in-depth knowledge of his subject which he used to give me a first-class service when I wanted to sell a whisky collection. For anyone who is considering any similar specialist whisky transactions I can certainly recommend him without reservation.”
Duncan Chambers, via Google