Karuizawa 1990 Bottled 2012 First Fill Sherry Cask #679

Karuizawa Spirit of Asama 1999/2000

from purchased sample: Nose: Fudge, and maybe a little chocolate and toffee, and kirsch. A little wood and something like a damp green forest. Vinuous, though somewhat earthy and savory - not the sulphur/salted meats. Surprisingly dark and rich for a whisky this young. Rather malty. Palate: Really nice texture and thickness. Brown sugar stew and...

Score 87/100

Karuizawa 1981/2012 for LMdW, cask 162

from a purchased sample Nose: Surprisingly quiet at first. Strawberries and cherries open the show, and eventually an elegant stream of 'dirty' sherry emerges, along with brown sugar paste simmering with dark medjool dates, plums, cinnamon, and sawdust. More refined than robust, especially for one of these Karuizawa. (with water) Sherry, cedar,...

Score 91/100

Karuizawa 1983 28 Year Old Noh Cask #7576

I actually had the second half of my sample bottle last night after all the Hanyu. The first half was very good, though a bit unexpected with lots of ginger and chili. I realized that my palate was just 'off' that night, so I decided to try again. This expression came out earlier in the year and sold out very, very quickly (minutes for a few...

Score 95/100

Karuizawa 12 Year Old Original Bottling

Karuizawa distillery was established in 1955 by the Mercian Wine Company. Mercian owned a former vineyard and decided to convert this into a small traditional distillery. Apparently the location at Karuizawa was chosen due to offering the closest climatic conditions to the Highlands of Scotland, even though the summers are much hotter and the...

Score 83/100