‘Last’ Karuizawa casks break record with £4.25m sale
Christie’s London has set a new record for its highest price ever achieved for what is believed to be the last two casks from the closed Japanese distillery Karuizawa.
At a live auction on 10 March, each rare cask sold for £2,125,000 (US$2,852,000), including the hammer price and buyer’s premium.
In total, the two-lot auction generated £4.25 million (US$5.7 million), setting a record for the highest value lots sold at auction by Christie’s Wine & Spirits.
The two casks, No. 6195 and No. 888, were offered from the private collection of Sukhinder Singh, a whisky expert, collector, and founder of Elixir Distillers.
Distilled in 1999, one of the distillery’s last years of operation, the casks offer collectors a rare opportunity to acquire Karuizawa whisky in its purest form.
Each cask yields approximately 420 bottles, allowing collectors to influence the future maturation, bottling, and release of the whisky.
Singh commented on the record-breaking auction: “I am pleased with the result of the auction and look forward to working with the buyer on the next part of the journey of these casks.
“Having owned, bottled and enjoyed so many of the sister casks has been a privilege and an amazing experience that I will never forget.”
The winning bidders are invited to collaborate with Kandoblanc to create bespoke pieces inspired by Japanese aesthetics and heritage craftsmanship.
Adam Bilbey, global head of wine and spirits at Christie’s, said: “We are incredibly proud that these two extraordinary Karuizawa casks, that have been so carefully nurtured, have found new custodians.
“Full casks of Karuizawa are rarely seen, and their provenance from the private collection of Sukhinder Singh – one of the most respected figures in the world of rare whisky – made these even more special.
“This is a project that Christie’s has been honoured to be involved with, and it is particularly thrilling to see the hammer come down on these record-breaking lots, a record number in our 60th year as a department and in our brand-new rostrum designed by Sir Jonny Ive for our 260th anniversary.”
Last year, the third biennial Distillers One of One auction with Sotheby’s raised £2.3 million (US$3.1m) for charity.
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