We're back on the slopes of Mount Asama and cult Distillery Karuizawa in Japan for this next review... and an even rarer one this is, as it has matured in a bourbon cask. The 'house style' of Karuizawa is sherry cask matured whisky, so it'll be quite exiting to try something that's been sitting in a bourbon cask for 30 years, before reaching The Whisky Exchange shop in London, UK.
The Whisky Exchange had this 1982 bourbon cask expression bottled along with a 1984 sherry cask version in 2012 and decorated the bottled with some beautiful Koi-fish labels - very nice looking indeed.... but it's not the label that makes a whisky - it's the... well, whisky
Here are my notes on this one:
Karuizawa 1982/2012 30yo 46%, ex-bourbon cask#8497, Number One Drink Company for The Whisky Exchange - Koi fish label (closed)
Colour is full straw
Nose:
Some elegant hardwood (teak?) hits the nose first along with some light peat. Then wet tobacco and oak notes of spices, ginger vanilla, varnish, nutmeg and juicy malt
Taste:
Surprisingly light arrival, again the peat is noticeable, crisp oak and some lovely white fruits and spices, a little floor polish and orange oil, sawdust. Finish lingers on spices and peat.
As I expected, this is a very oak driven malt, on the very edge of existence, IMO...
I previously mentioned in another post on Karuizawa that there was a chance that some casks were turning into oak juice - this one is close, one the very edge, but not over it...
Great dram!
90/100!
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