Karuizawa Multi-Vintage # 1 Awesome I hold the small sample bottle in hand, on his label is written by hand: Karuizawa 27y Multi-Vintage. My heart beats faster, the pulse is faster, I look forward to my first Karu! I gently open the small vial, carefully pour the contents into my Premium Snifter. Rusty brown and deep amber with a reddish glow shines the Karu in the glass. Majestically, after swirling, oily drops dissolve out of the streaks adhering to the glass wall and search their way back into the glass in slow motion. I close my eyes. In the time-lapse, the years fly past me and finally I am shrouded in fog at the beginning of the 80's in the middle of the Karuizawa Distillery in far-off Japan. The sun is high on the horizon a fresh pinch blows over the yard. I take a deep breath and perceive the different scents. (Nose) From the whisky casks standing in the yard, a spicy and fruity woody aroma rises. Old wood elements mix with sweet berries and ripe fruits. A dark and dry berry aroma blows in my direction and exudes its wonderfully soft and fresh aroma. Dried berries pickled in rum are voluminous, and a hint of old and ripe oranges rises into the nose. The plum and cherry trees on the grounds exude their wonderfully fruity and intense aroma, nearby a few bushes of fresh mint and peppermint smell. A pleasant alcohol note lies over the whole complex and reminds me of where I am right now, a whisky distillery! I go a few steps further. The dry ground dust, mineral and slightly salty aromas whirl up. From a warehouse wet leather flavors and a touch of cold tobacco. A moment later, the mint releases again its fruity and fresh aroma. I take a deep breath several times and can not satiate with the intense and beguiling aromas! (Taste) Suddenly an old man comes out of a warehouse, comes up to me and hands me a glass of whisky. I am curiously nipping the glass. Dark fruit flavors spread softly and velvet over the tongue, then the malt explodes in my mouth. Wow, what a kick! Spicy and dark wood notes hit hard on my palate, wooden sharpness and a pinch of chilli make the mouth glow briefly. Slowly the heat fades away, dried dates and raisins follow and exude their fruity and creamy aroma in the entire mouth. Tart wood and fruit notes appear, discreetly bitter leather flavors mingle with a few old tobacco crumbs. The harsh and dry woody aromas now dominate the flavor until suddenly unexpectedly creamy and sweet aromas rise from the wood. The old tobacco leaves become more intense, the leather flavor returns. Mint and freshness dissolve from the leather-tobacco mixture and a voluminous, powerful aroma makes the taste slowly pass into the finish. (Departure) Dreamily, I look up and hold the empty glass in my hand. Dark and dry tobacco aromas remind me of the great and delicate taste. Tart and dry notes of wood remain in the memory for a long time, creamy, dark fruit flavors return, plums and berries flash briefly again. The tart and creamy mouthfeel lasts for a long time, the complete flavors of the taste return briefly again. A touch of leather, fresh mint and a hint of eucalyptus, old and dried tobacco leaves, berries and prunes. Spicy and tart wood aromas with a fine hint of mint finish the finish slowly and make me rave about this great taste experience. Gradually the pictures fade in my head, I open my eyes slowly and find myself in the present again. One last time smell into the empty snifter glass, absorb the remaining flavors and thank ASWhisky for the gigantic sample and the wonderful trip to far away Japan! (Conclusion) What a taste experience! A truly old and multi-layered whisky. My first karu and hopefully not my last. The variety of different and beguiling aromas still make me swarm. As I write these lines, a dreamy mix of dried tobacco leaves and fresh mint returns. From the empty Nosingglas still raise intense aromas. After this incredible taste experience and my journey to the land of the rising sun, I have no choice but to end my tasting with the following words ... yes, I'm in heaven AS, thank you for this wonderful Karu!

japanese H2H

Fuji Gotemba 40th Anniversary 46% 2013 OB single grain wb 64595
87/88/88
Takestsuru 21 year 43% 2010 blended malt (yoichi & Miyagiko) wb 157798
85/83/85
Suntory The Peninsula Tokyo 43% 2014 blend (Yamazaki/Hakushu/Chita) wb 67513
94/88/89
Hanyu 1990/2007 cask 9511 55.5% wb 6634
89/89/90
Karuizawa 1981/2012 sherry butt 162 55.8% Cocktail Series for LMDW wb 36517
91/91/90
Karuizawa 1981/2013 sherry butt 155 56% Noh whisky wb 41915
91/89/89
Karuizawa 27 year bottled 2017 sherry/bourbon 59.1% Noh whisky wb 32187
93/92/92
Yamazaki 1990 18 year cask ON70645 sherry butt 60% wb 6261
91/93/93

Started off with the Fuju Gotemba single grain,which is different to Scottish grains I have tried and thought it was very good.
Taketsuru blended malt is ok but for the price poor
Suntory the nose is great but the palate is swamped by oak, shame
Hanyu all round is pretty good
Karuizawa Cocktail butt 162 pretty good all round
Karuizawa butt 155 not bad just a little too bitter
Karuizawa multi vintage ,very good vatting of 4 casks,good balance
Yamazaki 1990 very good

The best Japanese whisky I have tried are the Karuizawa 1967 & 1968 vintages both scored at 95 points but I suspect right now I would score them around 93 points as my palate has changed in the last few years.

The people who purchased these bottles when they were released all I can say was smart move because the price now at auction is horrendous,the yamazaki can go for 5k,which is beyond silly.
Most of the Karuizawa/Yamazaki single casks are heavy sherry and walk a fine line with being too oaky,they are good quality drams for sure but in my view do not match the best that Scotch whisky has to offer. Scotch whisky that is aged is far too expensive now but when compared to the absurd prices of Japanese whisky they start to become an attractive proposition.

if you call this a blend , you are blind ... this is 4 top casks blended togheter till something out of this world if you drink normal common whisky's at fair price tags. i was full of nerves to drink it and boy oh boy i am not a descriptor of tast and flavours but what a feeling in my mouth , cant get any words for it but it was an explosion of flavors even 30 mins later . sad al my other whisky s are now promoted to water with flavour ... only one will stand up and that 's still that amazing old perth blend from macallan.

very much Karuizawa, sherry, tobacco, hint of leather, dark fruits, not too much wood, very nice

97!

https://www.connosr.com/karuizawa-27-yo-multi-vintage-for-ldmw-whisky-review-4575

This is a blend from sherry butt & bourbon casks #6405, 4973, 8184, 6437, ranging from 1981-1984. I may be mistaken, but I think that this is the first multi-vintage expression under the Noh label (or with the Noh images, perhaps more accurately).

Nose: Prune, fig, date, syrup. This baby is heavy and fruit. Also a bit of the elegant salty game meat, but secondary or tertiary and complementary. Chocolate, wood, cinnamon, and licorice. Perhaps even some gran marnier and gorgeous seville oranges. Almost reminds me, at points, of some of my favorite baco Armagnacs. Hooray! (with water) Rather more elegant, with greater emphasis on light extracted fruit and honey. Demerara rum and syrup.

Palate: All that was on the nose, this baby delivers. Orange, chocolate, figs, salted bacon grease (yum), wood, vanilla, and date extract. Elegant and powerful. (with water) brilliant. I love this without water, but with water... speechless.

Finish: Thick and chewy, just a delight. I forgot to put a score on this; my final note was, as written: BUY A BOTTLE OR MORE. Check. So, I'm going to have to say that this was somewhere between an A and an A+. Marvelous stuff and just what I want. For the sake of being absolutely arbitrary, I'm just going to give this a 97.

Surprisingly tasty!!!

this is so so so good

this is so so so good

this is so so so good

Tasting Notes:

https://whiskycuse.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/karuizawa-noh-whisky-multi-vintages-1-591-vol-casks-6405-4973-8184-6437-bourbon-sherry-casks/

The aroma is thick, rich, spicy: old leather, smoked meat, oil, turpentine, varnish, coniferous wood with pitch, nuts, leaves, pipe tobacco, sherry, dried fruit, bitter chocolate, rum, brown sugar, honey. With a drop of water more smooth, fruity. Super! The taste is powerful, sweet with sourness: hot pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, citrus, bitter chocolate, strong tea, sherry, dried fruits, smoked products, tobacco, astringent oak. Delicious! The aftertaste is long: dried fruits, tobacco, light smoke, spices, tart oak. Conclusion . Fine whisky. Powerful, multilayered, diverse, bright and consistent. Excellent transition from a fascinating aroma to a bright taste and then to the enveloping tobacco-oak aftertaste. Concentrated pleasure. The score is 93 (n24t23f23b23).

At least I did not think it was that great. Something musty, but not noble. The finish is rather poor. On Neudeutsch: you the crass like mold on cheese while drinking but only a little because this töier. Never buy the tsu brobiere, man. Gipt blatantly better.

May cost € 270.- in May 2013.

They are used to be sitting on shelves for months and many of friends including me found it unpleasant to drink, the body is fine and rich, but there are so many odd notes and the favours seems not vatted well...

Nose: prunes, figs, dates, syrup and some very nice fruits! And some nice chocolate and wood and cinnamon and liquorice and yes(!) even some delicious oranges! 

Palate: again oranges with chocolate, some nice bacon, wood and my beloved vanilla. Very elegant and powerful; even brilliant witg some water!! I love it without water, but with water... unbelievable!!!

Finish: Thick and chewy(I like it), a true delight. This realy is a very rare and fantastic whisky and therefor I'm very thankful with this "J-pearl"!

Gorgeous whisky! Sweet, always cherry in the nose and in the mouth, reminds me of Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte. Lies long and sweet on the tongue. A bit expensive, but in my opinion worth every Heller.

one of my preferred Whisky.
Nose: first cherry and wood then sweet and an irresistible urge to taste it.
Body: intense, cherry again, dark chocolate pepper and light smoky
Finish: Long, fruity and then smoky

WHISKY FACT:  Japan is the 2nd largest whisky producing nation after Scotland.  

Quote from:

The Perfect Whisky Match

"Karuizawa - Pronounced Ka-REE-zaR-wa. (Ian Buxton - reference).

This distillery was quite different from the giants of Japanese Distillery as it was started as a vineyard. 

The owner converted it into a whisky distillery six years later in 1962. 

Most Japan distilleries produce vast ranges of whisky styles, but Karuizawa focused on one style only.  

Their whiskies are typically very rich, smoky, hardy and they predominantly used Spanish ex-sherry casks.  

The distillery closed without any apparent reason in 2001. 

The site was then turned into a museum which gave tours of the mothballed distillery. 

Then last November (2011) the building and lot was sold to an unknown buyer. 

The distillery is officially "lost".  

Stocks of the whisky were purchased by Number One Drinks and have slowly been leaking out onto the market year after year.  

They are bought just as quickly. This bottling is the first of a series of multi-vintage releases planned by Noh. 

 I`m super happy I was able to acquire one of the three bottles that was allocated to our area of the world".

Tasting notes here:
http://www.whiskynotes.be/2012/japan-whisky/karuizawa-multivintage-27yo/