Last Call To Invest In This Collection Of Rare Karuizawa Whiskey

Fine wine and collectible whiskys often are correlated to France and Scotland. 

But Japan has been making headway in the luxury alcohol department and is one of the major exporters of liquor globally. Japanese whisky sales to the U.S. have increased 50 times since 2010 and were valued at $50 million in 2019. Japan’s whisky exports to the U.S. have risen by more than 230% since 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

As demand for Japanese whisky heats up, the popular wine investment platform Vint recently launched the Karuizawa Sapphire Geisha Collection, comprising two limited edition Geisha Series Karuizawa Whisky bottles. The Sapphire Geisha collection is one of the rarest in existence, with only 251 bottles in circulation. This comes as the Karuizawa distillery stopped production back in 2000 and ultimately closed and was demolished in 2011. 

Vint’s collection is nearly sold out, with only 201 shares remaining as of Monday afternoon. Shares of the collection are priced at $100. 

Rarest Of The Rare

Not only do the Karuizawa Sapphire Geisha whiskys have a fixed supply, the Vint’s offering pairs two rare bottles, making it even more exclusive. There is only one bottle of the 36-year Sapphire Geisha whisky in circulation. The auction is estimated to have a collection value of $158,000. The whiskys are estimated to mature between 2024 and 2027, after which they will be bottled for physical delivery. 

Given its extremely limited supply, Karuizawa is one of the best collectible whiskys in circulation. The Japanese brand has already surpassed industry leaders such as The Macallan and Springbank, with the Rare Whisky 101 Karuizawa Index accelerating 25.73% year to date. The Rare Whisky Icon 100 Index, which primarily tracks Scottish premium vintage whiskys, has risen by only 14.47% over this period. 

The Japanese whisky industry is also benefitting from favorable domestic policies, as the government has been urging youth to consume more alcohol. This, coupled with strong global demand, should allow Karuizawa to dethrone Yamazaki as the most expensive Japanese whisky in circulation globally.

Photo: Courtesy of Vint