Karuizawa Distillers have revealed that their Komoro Distillery will be open to the public from 23rd July. The recently built facility will feature a visitor centre, a bar and a Whisky Academy.
Based on the outskirts of Komoro, in the foothills of Mount Asama, the distillery is beautifully situated amongst forests, making it a picturesque destination for visitors. Importantly it’s also an ideal place for making whisky, with access to water with a high mineral content and a cool climate (at 910 meters above sea-level, Komoro will be the highest distillery in Japan).
The $15 million distillery features a single set of stills produced by legendary Forsyths of Rothes. These stills will produce both peated and lightly peated spirit. Komoro intend to focus on Japanese mizunara wood for maturation, but won’t shy away from utilising a variety of casks including American oak, STR casks and an assortment of sherry casks ranging from fino to oloroso.
Distilling started in March 2023 and the first releases are intended for 2026.
The original Karuizawa Distillery closed in 2000 and whisky from the distillery has become revered among whisky fans. Plans for the Komoro Distillery were unveiled in 2020 as it was announced that they aim to honour the legacy of Karuizawa.
CEO Koji Shimaoka was a resident of Karuizawa town for over 20 years and witnessed the rise and fall of the Karuizawa Distillery. Bringing distilling back to the area became his personal mission.
To help him in this endeavour he hired Ian Chang as Master Distiller. Chang was previously the award winning master distiller at Kavalan, and Shimaoka believed there was no greater whisky making talent to entrust with the Karuizawa legacy.
However, honouring that legacy does not necessarily mean Komoro will be aiming to replicate the Karuizawa style. On the contrary, Shimaoka believes that it would be a fool’s errand to try and do so. Instead Chang’s talents will go to crafting something that equals, or even betters Karuizawa’s spirit as Komoro forges their own identity.
The ultimate aim is to create a “new legend” in Japanese whisky, one that honours history and tradition while simultaneously looking forward.
Challenging perceived conceptions of whisky in Japan is also an important part of this venture. Shimaoka has previously stated how whisky is still commonly viewed as an old man’s drink in Japan, and the visitor centre aspect of the Komoro Distillery aims to open the world of whisky up to a younger generation of Japanese consumers.
Komoro is the first step in Shimaoka’s long term plan to create a portfolio of new distilleries that will eventually see Karuizawa Distillers become one of the top whisky producers in Japan, both in terms of volume and quality.
Koji Shimaoka isn’t the only one hoping to use the Karuizawa name. It was reported in late 2022 that the Karuizawa Whisky Company have plans to build a new distillery in the town of Karuizawa. This venture will utilise the Karuizawa name to raise the profile of both the new and old distillery.
With two companies competing while seeking to share the same lineage, it’s clear Karuizawa’s shadow still looms large over the Japanese whisky scene. Despite having been closed for nearly quarter of a century, the distillery still has many fans the world over - drinkers and collectors alike scramble for Karuizawa whenever bottles appear on the secondary market.
As the newly made spirit matures we will have to wait to see how Komoro and the greater Karuizawa Distillers’ venture lives up to the legacy of Karuizawa.