Karuizawa 31 Years Old 1981

Karuizawa, the single malt distillery at the base of Mt. Asama in Nagano Prefecture operated by Mercian, distilled from 1956 until its closure in 2000. The site was demolished in 2016, and releases from its remaining casks have been distributed across global markets by the owners and independent bottlers. This single cask from the 1981 vintage was matured for 31 years and bottled in 2013 for the European market.

The maturation was in an Oloroso sherry butt, Karuizawa's signature wood choice, over three decades of cool Nagano ageing. The distillery was known for its heavy reliance on this cask type alongside its use of imported Golden Promise barley, which produced a spirit rich enough to absorb decades of sherry influence and emerge with structure and depth. The house profile from this combination typically yields stewed dark fruit, leather, chocolate and a long spiced finish. No specific flavour notes are on record for this cask. Bottled at 58.9% from a single cask.