Luxury Kit Kats on sale in Japan at $16 a finger

For chocolate lovers with cash to burn, a gold-coated Kit Kat bar will hit stores in Japan later this month, but at an eye-watering 2,016 yen ($16) a finger it will only be available for the lucky few.

Unlike in the famous children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the luxury chocolate bar won’t be randomly scattered among regular Kit Kats in shops.

Instead, 500 of the single bars will be made and sold only in the country, according to Nestle Japan, which has produced over 200 flavours — from strawberry to green tea and even wasabi — since introducing the chocolate treat there in 1973.

“In Japanese convenience stores, consumers are used to having new varieties all the time,” Nestle Japan spokeswoman Melanie Kohli said on Thursday.

“Japan is a very unique market.” Nestle’s limited edition “Sublime Gold” one-finger treat, which is covered in gold leaf and described as having a rich, bitter chocolate taste, will go on sale at chocolate boutiques in eight swank department stores from Tokyo to Sapporo in the north and Fukuoka in southern Japan.

“We have made it a luxury product,” Kohli said of the gold bars, which could be a popular treat during the holiday season.

“Not like you probably remember from your childhood. It’s a special occasion, to celebrate the end of the year.”