Karuizawa 17 Years Old

Karuizawa was a small single malt distillery situated at the foot of the active Mt. Asama volcano in Nagano Prefecture, operating from 1956 until its closure in 2000 and demolished in 2016. Its stock has become a collector touchstone, with most celebrated releases drawn from heavily sherried casks. This 17 Years Old takes a different path, matured instead in Ex-Bourbon casks over 17 years before bottling at 40% abv for the global market.

American oak at this age builds a deeper vanilla and dried-grain character than the younger bourbon-matured releases, with the longer contact time drawing out wood spice, light toffee and the subtle waxy texture typical of the distillery's pot-still spirit. Without the sherry layer, the Golden Promise barley character and the signature small-still distillate come through more directly, offering a contrast to the dark richness that defines Karuizawa's most sought-after casks.