Karuizawa Spirit of Asama (TWE)

Karuizawa Spirit of Asama is a single malt from Karuizawa distillery in Nagano Prefecture, bottled in 2012 by The Whisky Exchange for an event release at 48%. Named after Mt. Asama, the volcano that defined the distillery's dramatic setting during its years of operation from 1956 to 2000, this bottling sits at a lower strength than its UK-market counterpart, giving a softer and more approachable expression of the same closed-distillery stock.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon casks, the whisky shows a lighter, more citrus-forward character than the sherry-dominant Karuizawa releases: citrus peel, a mossy, earthy note and a rubbery complexity that comes from long maturation, with a sherried undertow in the background. At 48% the textures are rounded and the edges softened, making this a more accessible entry to the Karuizawa range while still carrying the distinctive depth of the Nagano site.