Exciting things are happening in the world of whisky, with the recent release of the Acclaim Collection by the luxury Japanese whisky retailer Dekantā. The collection consists of three vintages distilled in Karuizawa between 1999 and 2000 bottled at high ABVs of 60.8 percent, 61.1 percent, and 61.4 percent. Oh, and it’s ¥6.68 million for the trio.
What on earth makes these bottles so costly, you ask? Let us explain. The distillery that produced this liquid gold shuttered in 2011 before people had acquired a taste for the whisky that is now adored by aficionados around the globe.
This means that only a limited amount of this liquid gold remains from those original stills and has become highly sought after by collectors from around the world. In the coming years, the Karuizawa distillery is set to rise again in partnership with Dekantā, where a limited quantity of 250 sherry casks will be filled each year. That said, it would still be impossible to make a perfect recreation of the original whisky, and fans will have to wait about ten years to see how the new Japanese spirit compares to the batch released over two decades ago.
This limited edition collection is packaged in a custom lacquer cabinet designed by artist David Stanley Hewett. Hewett, who has lived in Japan for 30 years, has created artwork that appears in locations such as the US embassy in Tokyo, The Ritz-Carlton and The Okura Hotel. For the Acclaim Collection, the artist created a Wajima Lacquerware cabinet with 24-carat gold leaf layering to house the bottles.
If you are interested in purchasing a set (you know, for the next time you’re entertaining a crew of millionaires on your luxury yacht), you can visit the Dekantā website to order one now.
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