This whisky comes from a legendary, closed, Japanese distillery. Karuizawa used to produce whisky on a small scale and was rather focused on the domestic market. This continued from its establishment in 1955 until 2000 when the production was ceased. Although whisky is no longer produced, there have still been some casks left, however every year the number decreases. Unfortunately for the distillery, it gained world recognition only after it was closed. As Karuizawa is no longer licensed to produce alcoholic beverages and the distillery building has a new owner, there will be no new casks on the market and no one knows when the last whisky will be bottled.

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

Derived from a traditional martial arts technique for restraining captives, Shibari evolved into erotic bondage, called Kinbaku-bi, around the late 19th century.
Shibari literally means “to tie decoratively”. You have never seen a collection like this before. Each bottle is elegantly hand tied in true Shibari fashion.

Type: Japanese whisky
Distillery: Karuizawa
Vintage: 1981
Age: 35 years
Nawa – Rope – 45 bottles – cask #4059
Nawashi – A maker of rope – 45 bottles – cask #4059
Karada – Body – 45 bottles – cask #4059
Nawa-do – The way of rope – 65 bottles – cask #6183
Total number of bottles: 200
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.