Why is Karuizawa called a 'ghost distillery'?

Haha, that's a great question! The term "Ghost Distillery" is actually quite common in whisky circles. Let me explain it to you in plain language.

You can think of it this way: a distillery that has already shut down, is deserted, and no longer produces new whisky. However, the whisky it produced in the past, still aging in oak casks, remains. Such a distillery is what we call a "Ghost Distillery."

The Karuizawa distillery is a prime example of this.

It was established around the 1950s and had its glory days. But by the late 1990s, Japan's economy was in a slump, and the entire whisky market was very sluggish. Japanese people themselves weren't drinking much domestic whisky, opting for shochu and other spirits instead. As a result, this unique distillery couldn't sustain itself, officially ceased production around 2000, and eventually closed down completely.

Here comes the crucial part. Although the distillery was gone, it left behind over three hundred casks of well-aged raw spirit. These whiskies were like "orphans," quietly resting in the warehouse.

Later, a British company (Number One Drinks) discovered these treasures, recognized their exceptional quality, and bought them all. They then began to slowly bottle and release these precious aged whiskies, cask by cask.

Just think, the distillery no longer exists, so no new "Karuizawa" can ever be produced. Every bottle currently in circulation comes from those "leftover" casks from years ago. This means every bottle consumed is one less in existence, making it completely non-renewable.

Coincidentally, just a few years later, a global craze for Japanese whisky erupted, and people suddenly realized how delicious Japanese whiskies were. Karuizawa, with its unique, rich, and full-bodied sherry cask style (very different from the lighter, more delicate styles of many modern Japanese whiskies), and its exceptionally high quality, was instantly elevated to legendary status.

Scarcity + High Quality + Market Hype = Astronomical Prices.

So, the term "ghost" is perfectly apt: the distillery's "body" (the buildings and equipment) has vanished, but its "spirit" (those legendary whiskies) continues to live on in the world, becoming even more precious and mysterious due to its rarity. That's why it's called a "Ghost Distillery." If you want to enjoy a dram now, the cost will be very, very substantial.