BlockBar brings Japanese whiskey to NFT with rare Karuizawa auctions

BlockBar, an NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits, offers a chance to buy a bottle of one of the world’s rarest whiskeys, Karuizawa, from its last 50-year-old barrel.

‘The Last Masterpiece 1970’ is said to be the last of its kind in whiskey history and marks the last farewell of the Japanese distillery.

A statement from BlockBar notes that this is the first time they have brought Japanese whiskey to market, offering collectors the opportunity to own a piece of history with Karuizawa’s “The Last Masterpiece 1970.”

The BlockBar Karuizawa whiskey (picture via BlockBar)

Only 211 bottles in total remain from Karuizawa’s 1970 barrels, and one is made available exclusively via www.blockbar.com, as the brand’s first NFT ever. The special edition is decorated with bespoke label artwork designed by Souun Takeda, one of Japan’s renowned calligraphers.

Since the closure in 2011, the remaining liquid from the Karuizawa distillery has been highly sought after by whiskey collectors.

‘The Last Masterpiece 1970’ was first distilled 52 years ago in the shadow of the active volcano Mount Asama in Japan. It matured in a sherry barrel before being excavated in 2020 and bottled in a limited edition.

Karuizawa whiskeys are described as stylistically close to a Scottish malt, while retaining their own individual characteristics. The water has been filtered through lava and with both the distillery and the warehouse experiencing cool summers and snowy winters, the result is a maturation profile that is completely unique to the liquid.

The whiskey is celebrated through the bottle’s artwork designed exclusively for BlockBar by the Japanese calligraph Souun Takeda. The letters on the bottle are written in traditional Kanji style and combine modern innovation with traditional methods of expressing the Japanese language and spirit, an ode to this whiskey and history.

“Every bottle of Karuizawa whiskey is really valuable because the Karuizawa distillery is closed. Once a bottle is purchased, the brand comes one step closer to the final conclusion, and therefore we must be very careful about who we work with, says Eric Huang, CEO of Hua Yang International Exhibition Ltd. in Taiwan.

The Karuizawa brand is incredibly unique and we see great potential for dropping an NFT, which includes guaranteeing authenticity for the bottle owner. The main consideration for our partnership with BlockBar is their expertise in luxury spirits and its strict control of ensuring the bottle’s authenticity and quality by “We look forward to recreating the brand of Karuizawa with Blockbar’s expertise,” he added.

Dov Falic, co-founder and CEO of BlockBar, said with the rare offer, “We have literally one of the last drops of Karuizawa, which will never be recreated again, so this is a global auction you should not miss.”

Karuizawa ‘The Last Masterpiece 1970’ is auctioned off with a starting bid of $ 75,000 USD. Bids can be placed on www.blockbar.com and payment can be made via ETH, credit card or bank transfer. The auction is now open and ends at 17.00 EST Monday 18 July.

Karuizawa ‘The Last Masterpiece 1970’ distiller’s notes:

• Color – Old oak.
• Nose – Rich raisins and dried apricots, delicate honey and flowers.
• Taste – Sweet caramels and dark fruit. Creamy dark chocolate with a hint of spice.
• Finish – Long and wonderful.