Karuizawa 35 Years Old 1981

Karuizawa distillery, located at the foot of the active Mt. Asama volcano in Nagano Prefecture and operated by Mercian, produced single malt from 1956 until it closed in 2000. It was demolished in 2016. This single cask from 1981 reached 35 years of age before being bottled in 2017 for France, among the later releases from the 1981 vintage as the remaining stock has been progressively drawn.

The maturation was in an Oloroso sherry butt, the format most closely identified with Karuizawa's character. Thirty-five years in a seasoned Spanish sherry butt on spirit made from Golden Promise barley, in the cool conditions of Nagano's mountain climate, is the recipe that produced the darkly concentrated, richly sherried expressions that drove the distillery's international reputation after closure. The house profile typically runs to stewed dark fruit, leather, bitter chocolate and warming spice. Bottled at 56.5% from a single cask.