Whisky: Karuizawa 22 Year (1991), SMWS 132.2 “Stunning panorama of exotic fruits”

Country/Region: Japan

ABV: 62.4%

Cask: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 22 Years (Distilled 9 April 1991, Bottled 2013)

Nose: Worn leather and salted citrus fruits, preserved plum, hints of butterscotch candies, orange, subtle minerality

Palate: Medium-bodied, bitter orange and bergamot, salted plums, wintergreen mint and subtle vegetation, salted lemon peel, rock sugar candies, old glue, grassier toward the end with hints of algae and licorice.

Finish: Long and lingering, slightly drying, warming, citrus and salt with leather.

Score: 9

Mental Image: Mermaid Candy Store

Narrative & Notes: The aroma began with a lovely rich leather note that slowly faded as more citrus and fruit developed. Slightly floral bergamot, preserved plums, Asian pears, bitter orange, orange blossom, and a hint of butterscotch candies arrived. A green floral quality emerged with time, dandelions and sunflowers perhaps, along with old leather attaché cases and puckering salted lemon peel gummies. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile was bursting with bitter orange and bergamot. Salty fruits and candies flew in every direction with salted plums, lemon peel, rock sugar, wintergreen mint, and hints of licorice. Toward the end, the flavors took on a subtle minerality with grassier notes of green vegetation, algae, and mint. The finish was long and slightly drying with a warming spirit, citrus, salt, and tanned leather.

Outstanding. My experience with Karuizawa is limited, but this was nothing like the previous bottle I tried. The aroma was packed with bewitching fruits and hints of greenery, while the flavor profile linked fruits, leather, and vegetation with salt. This was incredibly salty, though not in a maritime brine sense. A few drops of water opened up some of the underlying algae and vegetal notes so that a more apparent transition occurred from the initial hit of citrus. The flavors were otherwise well-integrated, and the profile had an incredible structure.

Overall, a unicorn whisky, if ever there was one.

Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer