As it’s possible you’ll bear in mind, WhiskyNotes celebrates an anniversary on the seventh of December. Because it falls on a Saturday, we determined to rejoice a day early. Sixteen years of evaluations already. A Karuizawa must be acceptable.
Earlier this 12 months The Whisky Alternate launched The Cupboard, a digital market by which they provide distinctive and distinctive spirits. It’s a blockchain-enabled challenge so that you’re shopping for a digital certificates of possession. They settle for bank cards or cryptocurrency.
The bottles are bodily saved in TWE’s secured and insured facility. They’ll additionally ship it, do you have to wish to take bodily possession of the bottle. I’m fairly conventional about these items, so I’d wish to take a look at my bottle and treasure it, however then once more I don’t have that sort of cash.
The whiskies on provide are spectacular, beginning with a 50-year-old Glenlivet – solely 12 bottles! Immediately we’re celebrating with a Karuizawa 50 12 months Previous.
Karuizawa 1965 + 1972
The primary element of this whisky is Karuizawa 1965 from sherry cask #3037, which hit the market in a number of batches as a 50-year-old. A small quantity was stored again and held in glass. This was now married with a Karuizawa 1972 matured in crimson wine casks (like this different 1972) that have been recoopered in 2012. Each elements have been aged for 50 years. After painstaking trials (one among which already reached me a while in the past) they settled on a ratio of 80% 1965 and 20% 1972. This mixture rested in glass for an extra two years.
Solely 50 bottles exist, every with a singular engraving of an oriental motif or scene. All of them are on the challenge web site. Every field repeats the motif, and a complentary ebook explains the philosophy behind the whisky.
Time to fill the one acceptable glass for this type of whisky, the blender’s glass.
Karuizawa 50 yo – Marriage 1965 & 1972 (54,8%, The Whisky Alternate ‘Cupboard’ 2024, 50 btl.)
Nostril: it doesn’t scream Karuizawa instantly – at first you possibly can be tricked into considering this was a really outdated cognac. Dried apricots, whiffs of fig syrup but additionally mango beneath. Then slightly cinnamon and heather honey seems, together with gentle gingery notes. Furnishings polish, at all times good. Blood oranges, marmalade and Spanish membrillo. Hints of oriental pastry within the background, together with some outdated natural tea leaves, eucalyptus and delicate hints of cigar packing containers.
Mouth: fairly highly effective – this ain’t cognac! There’s black peppercorn and even hints of rye spice. Then natural honey and natural tea, with mint and eucalyptus, resulting in black tea and cigar leaves after some time. Mid-palate a burst of more energizing fruits seems, with extra blood orange and marmalade, hints of kumquat, mango and grapefruit (together with peels). Loads of treasured, oriental wooden as nicely, cedar but additionally smoky sandalwood. Fairly earthy, however with refreshing resinous touches and liquorice.
End: lengthy and darkish, on black tea and bitter chocolate, with some charred echoes, menthol, a hoppy notice and a little bit of incense.
So right here’s a Karuizawa that shows the magnificence and refinement of very outdated cognac and really outdated Scotch. The sherry is simple to note (because it ought to in a great Karuizawa imho) but it surely has extra layers and refinements than a few of the (additionally wonderful) sherry bombs we had earlier than. It’s extra within the type of those historical Glen Grants from Gordon & MacPhail, as an illustration. Nonetheless, on the palate the oriental, darkish profile of the distillery prevails, with a stunning trace of brilliant unique fruits.
I preserve questioning how a lot house stays for such initiatives within the present whisky market, however the whisky itself is definitely a chunk of liquid historical past. At € 44,000 ex VAT per (50cl) bottle, I’m certain there’s some funds left to have it delivered to your private home, the place it may be treasured and admired. Perhaps even… savoured?
Solely out there from The Whisky Alternate.
