Karuizawa Distillers on crafting a global brand

The CEO of Karuizawa Distillers is aiming to turn Komoro into a global Japanese whisky brand after the US$20 million distillery opens next year.

The newly formed Karuizawa Distillers (KDI) unveiled plans to build a Japanese whisky distillery in Komoro in December 2020.

Karuizawa Distillers was formed by CEO Koji Shimaoka, with former Kavalan whisky maker Ian Chang serving as master blender and distiller for the new Komoro Distillery.

“The intention is to focus on quality over quantity,” Shimaoka told The Spirits Business last month. The aim is to build a “world-class team” and a “global brand”, he said.

The distillery’s flagship brand will be Japanese single malt whisky Komoro.

The site is scheduled to complete construction this month, with the aim of opening by May 2023 and production starting in June.

Around US$20 million has been invested into Komoro Distillery, which will include a distillery and a two-floor business centre comprising two masterclass rooms, a blending lab, a restaurant and bar, and a shop.

Despite the company’s name and location, the liquid from the distillery will not be similar to the original Karuizawa whisky. The aim of the site is to produce a new style of whisky and continue the whisky distilling craftsmanship in the greater Karuizawa area, said Chang.

The distillery will utilise the late Dr Jim Swan’s techniques, who worked with Chang at Taiwanese distillery Kavalan.

“His philosophy was always to produce whisky that is very clean, complex with multilayers of nuances,” Chang explained. “This is the same principle that we will do at KDI.”

The final product will be very clean and very fruity, he added, typical of Swan’s style of whisky.

“What we would like to do is something that is much more pleasant and enjoyable for our global consumers,” said Chang. He noted that one similarity between the original Karuizawa and the new liquid is that it is “quite sulphury”.

The distillery also claims to be the highest in Japan at 910 metres above sea level and will be situated seven miles from the original Karuizawa Distillery site.

Age statements in the works

Shimaoka said its location in a colder area above Japan, near waterfalls, will also enable it to produce age statements.

“We’re closer to the mountains, it’s a better climate,” he explained. “Karuizawa became a cult name, it may be rare, it doesn’t mean it is the best spirit. We know Karuizawa is a good area that can make great whisky,” he explained.

Each year the distillery plans to save around half of its annual production for the future so that it can produce older whiskies, said Chang. “I think it’s quite reasonable to sell half as younger age statement and then the other half for longer age-statement products.”

The first whisky release will likely be in 2026, and the distiller is also considering launching limited edition products. The distillery will also experiment with different casks, with a large focus on Sherry casks.

“At my previous employer, Kavalan, I was introduced to quality cask suppliers, for example Sherry casks from Spain, Port from Portugal, quality ex-Bourbon casks from the US and so on. I want to combine all these, which is what we call our wood policy, to create different expressions as our core range.

“With Japanese oak, we have managed to secure the right amount of casks and enough for the foreseeable future.”

New guidelines for Japanese whisky, introduced by the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association this year, will also provide clarity for the category and distinguish Japan-made products from blends.

Shimaoka said the guidelines would have a “very positive impact” for premium single malts as certain brands will no longer being able to label their products as Japanese whisky.

For an indepth look at emerging players in the Japanese whisky category, see the October 2022 issue of The Spirits Business.