Rare Japanese Whisky Being Sold For $50K
There’s nothing that whiskey collectors covet more than a dusty — a bottle or bottles from a now shuttered distillery. So this recent announcement from Japanese whisky retailer, dekantā, has them ready to hunt. The retailer has partnered with Karuizawa, Japan-based artist David Stanley Hewett to create its most recent collection of exceedingly rare Karuizawa single malt called Acclaim — The Karuizawa Whisky Stage.
Closed for over two decades, the old Karuizawa distillery has seen rising interest in its single malt whisky since it has become increasingly scarce. In fact, it is said to be “the world’s rarest whisky.” The three-bottle set of separate expressions from 1999-2000 vintage Karuizawa is housed inside a Wajima Lacquerware cabinet and features 24 carat gold leaf layering, and bottle art, hand painted by Hewett. Embodying themes concurrent throughout his previous works, this collection celebrates the code of the Samurai and Japan’s martial history by depicting courage, honor and discipline.
With a studio and gallery miles from the original distillery, Hewett has been living in Japan for 30 years and has trained under Japanese master potters, screen makers and painters. Most well-known for his use of gold leaf, he has painted the ceilings of ancient Shinto Shrines and completed works for the US embassy in Tokyo, The Ritz-Carlton and The Okura Hotel, among others.
“dekantā has made huge efforts to engage Japanese artists for their projects. Their team really understands Japan and wants to support Japanese craftsmanship through their unique offerings,” said Hewett. “Every step of this 18-month-long process required minute attention to detail and partnerships with many craftspeople. It has been a wonderful journey seeing those initial sketches turn into a work of art in the real world that I can touch and feel that is probably the most gratifying part of the process.”
With the view to advocating Japanese artistry, Hewett spent a year traveling the country to work with skilled craftspeople for the glassware and Wajima cabinet. The whisky collection’s ‘stage’ was designed by him in his Karuizawa studio and the lacquer was applied by Taya Lacquer Studio in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, over the course of eight months. The Taya Studio dates back over 200 years to 1818 when Taya Kihei began his craftsmanship of Wajimanuri. Hewett commissioned an expert glassware maker in Japan to create bespoke bottles based on the traditional men’s Kimono with strong soldier-like shoulders. He then applied his artwork to each bottle, before fitting them with handmade, lacquered stoppers that feature the Hewett family crest.
“The Acclaim whisky stage truly is the perfect meeting of luxury Japanese whisky and fine art, making it an incredible collectible piece,” said Makiyo Masa, Founder and Director of dekantā.
Acclaim – The Karuizawa Whisky Stage is a limited edition of only 150 bottles, comprising 50 sets of three bottles each, available only at dekantā.com for $50,000. Anyone want to go in on a set?
