Karuizawa 30 Years Old 1981

Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture's now-demolished single malt distillery, operated under Mercian from 1956 until its closure in 2000. Bottling from its remaining casks began in earnest after closure, with the early 2010s seeing a wave of releases. This single cask from 1981 was drawn after 30 years, bottled in 2011 for the French market, among the earlier expressions of this vintage to be released.

The cask was a sherry butt filled with Oloroso, the format most closely associated with Karuizawa's house identity. The distillery used imported Golden Promise barley and leaned heavily on Spanish oak to shape its character over long maturation periods. The flavour note recorded here is mossy, suggesting a damp, forest-floor edge alongside the darker sherry-driven fruit and leather typical of the site. At 55.2% cask strength from a single butt.