KARUIZAWA 1982 - NUMBER ONE DRINKS COMPANY FOR THE WHISKY EXCHANGE

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!

KARUIZAWA 1992 - NUMBER ONE DRINKS COMPANY

Usually the Karuizawas we see on the market are well aged, though this next one is only about 14/15yo depending on its distillation date in 1992 - that said, this one was also bottled back in 2007 when Karuizawa hadn't reached the hype status it currently possesses.

Another couple of reasons could certainly be that demand is high at the moment and also maybe (a rumour, I know) that a number of casks are reaching a stage in maturation where they have to be bottled if they're not to go OTT and turn into oak juice... Which is right? only a few selected people at No. One Drinks company knows as they sit on whatever stock is left from the Karuizawa distillery (lucky guys !!) :-)

So, how is Karuizawa at a younger age? lets try it...

Karuizawa 1992/20.02.2007 62,8%, hogshead#6978, Number One Drinks Company (closed)

Colour is light amber

Nose:
Vanilla and hardwood all sorts, balsa wood in particular, a vague smoke and exotic spices, curry in there? I'm thinking American oak sherry hogshead here...

Taste:
Nutmeg, vanilla with an oaky edge, damp cellar mustiness, gets spicier with water, getting hints of ginger now as well along with oranges and the faintest hint of peat smoke on the finish.

This one is incredibly well balanced, IMO - and extremely drinkable, even at full strength.

90/100!

JAPANESE WHISKY SPECIAL - KARUIZAWA 1981 - NO. ONE DRINKS COMPANY

Fabled japanese distillery Karuizawa is fast reaching the same cult status as Scottish counterparts Brora and Port Ellen.

Located in the Japanese Alps, the closed Karuizawa distillery -originally a vineyard- started distilling in 1956, though the first single malt was not released until 1987. It used purely Golden Promise malt for its production, like Macallan previously did. Karuizawa even had it malt delivered from Simpson Maltings in Berwick, UK - talk about a trip around world for that barley!

Well, is Karuizawa any good? Rumors say so...

Karuizawa 1981 57,5%, 1st fill sherry cask#6256, 573 bottles, Number One Drinks Company (closed)

Colour: Light mahogany

Nose:
Damp tropical forest, woods all sorts, clean spicy sherry coating, hints of milk chocolate, mint and herbal liqueur dressed in pepper, hints of mustard and wood shavings.

Taste:
Heavy on the alcohol, Medium sweet sherry and hints of peat... then dried fruits and a malty sweetness. Some wood polish and a veggie note, Hint of orange blossom and chocolate. The aftertaste is goes on with wet spicy oak and a thin layer of peat.

Very, very nice too...

90/100!