When was the Karuizawa Distillery founded, and by what company?

The Karuizawa Distillery was founded in 1955.

The company that established it was called "Daikoku Budoshu Co., Ltd." (大黑葡萄酒株式会社). You might not have heard of this company, as it primarily produced wine. Later, this company transformed into the more familiar "Mercian." Hence, many people directly refer to Karuizawa as a distillery under Mercian.

At the time, their goal was to produce Scotch-like whisky in Japan, which led them to specifically choose Karuizawa due to its climate and environment bearing some resemblance to the Scottish Highlands.

Unfortunately, this legendary distillery ceased production around 2000 and has since completely closed down. Therefore, any Karuizawa whiskies found on the market today are "old stock" from its past, making them exceptionally rare and highly priced.