Karuizawa 35 Years Old 1981

Karuizawa distillery in Nagano Prefecture, operated by Mercian from 1956 until closure in 2000 and demolished in 2016, produced its final single cask releases across the mid-2010s as the last of the maturing stock reached optimal age. This 35-year-old single cask from 1981 was bottled in 2017 for global release, part of a cluster of 35-year 1981 vintage bottlings distributed through various market channels in that year.

The cask was Oloroso sherry wood, the defining maturation type at Karuizawa. Thirty-five years in seasoned Spanish oak in the cool climate of Nagano Prefecture, on a base spirit made from Golden Promise barley in small pot stills, is the combination that shaped Karuizawa's reputation for dark, concentrated and richly layered single malts. The house character runs to stewed fruit, leather, bitter chocolate and spice. No specific flavour notes are on record for this cask. Bottled at 57.7% from a single cask.