Karuizawa 24 Years Old Sa (Samaroli)

Karuizawa distillery in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, operated from 1956 to 2000 under Mercian, using small pot stills and Golden Promise barley. Although the distillery was synonymous with sherry maturation, a portion of its stock was aged in Ex-Bourbon casks. This release, distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2023 at 24 Years Old by the Italian independent Samaroli, represents that lighter strand of the Karuizawa character.

At 56.5% and from an Ex-Bourbon cask, the maturation delivers a different register to the sherry-heavy releases: vanilla, orchard fruit and malt take the lead, with the gentle waxy and herbal notes that the distillery's Golden Promise barley and small stills typically contribute. The extended 24 years in wood have added depth and integration without the dark, dried-fruit intensity of an Oloroso cask. An event bottling from a closed site, offering a rarer bourbon-wood perspective on Karuizawa.