Karuizawa 1981 35YO Shibari Nawa-Do “Black”. This whisky comes from a legendary, closed, Japanese distillery.

Karuizawa, in its earlier years, operated as a modest whisky producer, primarily concentrating on satisfying local demands. This approach persisted from its inception in 1955 until 2000, when production ceased. Although whisky distillation has faded into history, remnants of casks remain; yet each passing year sees a diminishing count. Regrettably, the distillery gained global acclaim only post its closure. With Karuizawa no longer holding the authority to craft alcoholic libations and the distillery premises under new ownership, prospects of fresh casks gracing the market are null, leaving the final bottling of this storied whisky shrouded in uncertainty.

This special edition celebrates the ancient Japanese art of Shibari, a form of rope bondage practiced to stimulate the mind and senses.

All of the whisky in this collection was distilled in 1981 and laid to rest in two different single sherry casks. This is Nawa-do, meaning “The Way of Rope”. It was aged 35 years in cask #6183 and is one of just 65 bottles.

Type: Japanese whisky
Distillery: Karuizawa
Distilled: 1981
Bottled: 2017
Age: 35yo
Cask type: Sherry
Cask number: #6183
Strength: 56,5%
Name: Nawa-du “The Way of Rope”
Size: 700 ml
Number of bottles produced: 65

Single sherry cask and cask strength

Shibari

The Country of the Rising Sun is famous for the many reasons. The rich and attractive heritage of Japan has left an imprint on our common global culture in many aspects, even on… world of sexuality. This edition of Karuizawa whisky is dedicated to this part of Japanese tradition, which has changed our view on the art of bondage and has made it truly sensual. Nowadays, many people on the whole planet study the way of using the rope in the alcove, which was born on the Land of Cherry Blossoms in the late Edo period (about 1600s to 1860s), and which is called Kinbaku or Shibari. The first Japanese term can be translated as “tight binding”, and the second as “to tie decoratively”. Karuizawa Shibari edition is a tribute to this antique style of bondage, which involves tying a person up using simple yet visually intricate patterns, usually with several pieces of thin rope. This is the reason why the bottle of this rare Japanese spirits was tied decoratively. This is the way which we show and remind the art of Shibari.