Karuizawa 42 Years Old 1967 Cask #6426 (LMDW)

Karuizawa operated from 1956 until its closure in 2000 in Nagano Prefecture, at the foot of Mt. Asama. Most of its enduring reputation rests on its single cask sherry-butt releases, which have become among the most sought-after Japanese whiskies since the distillery's closure and demolition. This single cask, number 6426, was distilled in 1967 and matured in an Oloroso sherry butt for 42 years before bottling at cask strength in 2009 for La Maison du Whisky, for the French market, at 58.4% abv.

A sherry butt at 42 years is a notable piece of maturation: the Oloroso influence builds steadily through dried figs, dark plums and bitter chocolate, while the small-still spirit underneath carries the waxy, Golden Promise barley character that is distinctively Karuizawa. The cask strength bottling preserves the full, uncut weight of this interaction, dense and multidimensional in the way only very long sherry maturation in a cool mountain climate can produce.