Whisky Auctioneer Set For Record Auction With Rare Karuizawa 1960 & Yamazaki 55 Year Old

Online whisky auction platform Whisky Auctioneer is set to make history with an upcoming exclusive Japanese whisky auction that intends to achieve new category records.

The auction platform previously made news following an exceptional £43,000 result for a 1st Edition Hanyu Card bottling sold in March 2026.

Running from 12–22 June 2026, the auction will be headlined by the Karuizawa 1960 "The Poet" (Cask #5627).

Distilled at the legendary, now-closed Karuizawa Distillery and bottled in 2013 at 52 years of age, the Karuizawa 1960 is an extraordinary single-cask release has achieved near-mythical status among global collectors.

All 41 bottles of the Karuizawa 1960 Cask #5627 are entirely unique; in-place of traditional numbering, each is individually named and distinguished by a hand-selected netsuke, a traditional Japanese miniature carved sculpture that is suspended from its neck.

The bottle's esteemed provenance hails from its status as being an expression that has remained under direct  custodianship of its original creator, Marcin Miller, who co-founded the independent bottling  company Number One Drinks with David Croll in 2006.

Through the Number One Drinks Company, he played a pivotal role in sourcing and releasing the final remaining stocks from the legendary, now-closed Karuizawa Distillery, effectively cementing its legendary status among collectors worldwide.

A widely respected force in the global spirits industry, Miller is also the former publisher of Whisky Magazine, a Keeper of the Quaich, and the co-founder of The Kyoto Distillery—Japan’s pioneering artisan gin distillery. 

“The Poet” will appear alongside a host of remarkable lots in the auction. Other highlights include:

• The Yamazaki 55 Year Old, the world’s oldest Japanese whisky and The Karuizawa 1998 Harland Miller; a unique collaboration featuring a hand-painted  label by internationally renowned British artist Harland Miller.  All proceeds from this lot, including Whisky Auctioneer’s buyer’s commission, will be donated to Migrate Art.
• Ichiro’s Malt Hanyu Card Bottlings, one of the most famous and collectible Japanese whisky series of all time, including rare 1st Edition releases from 2005 such as the Jack of Clubs.

To register for the auction, Kisetsu: The Seasons of Japanese Whisky,  those interested can head on down to Whisky Auctioneer's website.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team