In my last review, I took a look at a Karuizawa that was made up of vatted casks from the final year or two of production that resulted in a release that was representative of the distillery’s house style without excelling in any one area. By contrast today, I’m exploring a single cask Karuizawa that has a little more punch and gives some idea of what the distillery really had to offer.
This Karuizawa is from sherry butt #879 and was aged 13 years before being bottled for K&L Wines. I remember when this went on sale for pre-order and am kicking myself to this day for not taking advantage at the time. Live and learn…
[table2 caption=”Karuizawa 1999 Noh Cask #879 (K&L Exclusive) – 57.7% ABV” colalign=”center|left”]
Category|Notes
Appearance|Copper
Nose|Intense sherry, savory and bold, ripe banana, pineapple, hint of smoke, cherries, more tropical fruits, tobacco, meaty, grill char. This might be the most savory nose I’ve experienced yet.
Taste|Dark fruit, sherry, cherries, syrupy, chocolate, fennel, earthy. Still quite bold with water, lots of oak, a lot spicier and the addition of some citrus. After several minutes, mushrooms appear.
Finish|Lots of oak, more sherry influence, more “meatiness”, tropical fruits from the nose are back. With water, the oak remains and the fruit comes forward more. It’s a really long finish.
Overall Thoughts|The nose just won’t quit. Intense, bold, what more can I say. I’m glad to have tried this whisky from a now legendary distillery.
Total Score|95/100
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