Read stories about Karuizawa of A Wardrobe of Whisky blog.

A few days ago I received a miniature of this Karuizawa 1964. This is the second special release done by Wealth Solutions, whose mission is to provide unique ( and expensive! ) products to Polish collectors and investors, after an incredible 58 years old Glenfarclas.

This Karuizawa is bottled from the left stock of the distillery that closed it doors just after turning into the new millennia. Number One Drinks acquired all the existing casks of Karuizawa in August 2011 and they have provided this sensational cask for Wealth Solutions.

This special Japanese whisky has been bottled by Wealth Solutions from one of the oldest and few remaining 1960s cask of Karuizawa. This cask #3603 was a 400 litres Olosoro sherry Oak Butt. It has been bottled at 57.7% ABV.

It was filled on 1st September 1964 and bottled on Christmas Eve 2012 which makes it one of the oldest Japanese whisky ever bottled with 48 years old. Barely 143 bottles of this whisky will be available ( greedy angels! ).

There are several things that make Karuizawa quite unique and a tragic lost: they used only Golden Promise barley for their whiskies that although produces less alcohol on distillation create better whiskies when aged for a long time, they used peated malt from Scotland until they decided to start using in 1990s unpeated malt in a last try to catch with japanese consumers and to be my surprise most of the whisky was sold for blending. So in fact it is a real miracle to have this whisky in my hands.

Let’s taste it ( haha! Sorry, I am going to taste, you keep reading ) and then I share my thoughts.

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[EDIT: Yep, the title was wrong. This whisky is one of the very few Karuizawa whiskies matured in a bourbon cask. A real jewel ]

“I feel the vertigo of tasting something unique! Impressive Japanese whisky from lost Karuizawa distillery”

91

An exciting development - our first ever bourbon-matured Karuizawa!
This is from the 1982 vintage and has been bottled at 46% with our new Koi label. A huge hit at the 2012 TWE Whisky Show.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, citrus, spices, wood.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, spices, pepper, citrus, wood, floral.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, pepper, citrus, malt.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Karuizawa 1982 Cask #8497 with 91 points over 100.

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This one is another crack that I tasted in my last visit to London and it was also my first Karuizawa. Keep in mind that there is three different bottles of this one around: an Asama 46%, Asama 48% and an Asama 55%. I tasted the 48% abv bottling.

So the whisky. This one is a vatting of several Karuizawa casks distilled between 1999 and 2000, so 12 years old Karuizawa for £60… it could be worse.

“Impressive sherried Japanese legend. The cask strength version must be scary!”

89

A TWE exclusive release of Karuizawa, a vatting of about 70 casks bottled at 48% to produce a well rounded and affordable example of the distillery's character.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, nuts, citrus.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. honey, nuts, cocoa, raisins, chocolate, leather. Massive sherried whisky

Finish (90): longer than average. nuts, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Karuizawa Spirit of Asama / 48% Japanese Single Malt Whisky with 89 points over 100.

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This post continue from TWE Whisky Show [Part 1]

I have just complete the first floor of The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show, and after tasting very nice whiskies as Talisker 35, Midleton Rare or several Kavalan Solist. Now I run for the ground floor where more whisky is awaiting me.

Hurry up! Hurry up Miguel! Ok, first floor has the whisky and food pairings, sure, very interesting. Thank you very much sir.

Going one floor under it. Wooa! Mother of God! So much whiskies and so little time. Only two and a half hours for the show to close. ok! Ok! Don’t panic!.

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I have just bought from The Whisky Exchange this awesome bottle of japanese sherried whisky.

This bottle looks rather interesting from what I read on the Whisky Exchange description:

A first fill sherry cask of Karuizawa from the 1990 vintage, bottled at cask strength after full-term maturation in a first fill sherry butt. This isn’t as sweet as some previous Karuizawas we’ve had, tending more to the dry, spicy, savoury side of Karuizawa’s character.

It sounds to me like a great cask strength sherry whisky and it is in fact the first Karuizawa I can afford to buy. Just ordered it!.

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