Komoro Distillery to honour Karuizawa name 14th December, 2020 by Owen Bellwood Newly-formed Karuizawa Distillers has unveiled plans to build a new Japanese whisky distillery in Komoro, which is due to begin production in 2022. The Komoro Distillery will have a limited production capacity when it opens Karuizawa Distillers was formed by CEO Koji Shimaoka with the aim of constructing a ‘state-of-the-art’ distillery that could ‘honour’ the Karuizawa name. Through its proposed Komoro Distillery, Karuizawa Distillers hopes to “protect the legacy” of the Japanese brand, while producing single malt “in the most environmentally friendly way possible”. Shimaoka said: ‘Karuizawa whisky is a global symbol of the rich nature and history of our local area. I want to protect and honour this great name, whilst creating a new legend in the place I have called home for over 20 years.”