Karuizawa 12 Years Old 2000 (SMWS 132.6)

Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture closed in 2000, and this millennium vintage from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, release 132.6, represents one of the final distillations to emerge from the site before it fell silent. Bottled in 2013 at 12 Years Old, from a single refill sherry butt, it arrives at the highest cask strength in this series at 63%, released globally by the SMWS.

At 12 years, the maturation time is shorter than many Karuizawa releases, and the refill sherry butt means the wood's influence is measured rather than dominant. Yet the distillery's characteristic profile still registers: dried fruit, light leather and a warming spice note from the spent Oloroso wood, set against the cereal and waxy grain quality that Golden Promise barley in small Nagano pot stills consistently produced. The 63% bottling strength amplifies all of it, making this one of the more concentrated and assertive expressions in the SMWS Karuizawa series.