Karuizawa 1984 28 Years Old Vintage Single Cask:3692 For Number One Drinks 1 Of 559 Bottles 61.6% 1981

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Serge Valentin (89)

Colour: dark red amber.

Nose: a gun that just fired, reminds me of my days in the army (conscription). So yeah, a lot of gunpowder and struck matches, and even truffles at first nosing, but no hard boiled eggs, asparagus or cooked cabbage in there. So no mercaptan/thiols, luckily. What’s more, as often those notes tend to go away, leaving room for quite some chocolate and raspberry jelly. Now, it’s very strong, so… With water: goes toward dried porcinis, cigars, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and, maybe, even old Parmesan cheese. Also bags and bags of roast chestnuts – I don’t think I ever got that that loudly. All that is quite lovely.

Mouth (neat): rich and powerful, it’s more some kind of ultra-heavy jam at this point. Prunes, Armagnac, black pipe tobacco and a tarry/smoky side that may come from the high strength. Let’s see… With water: this time it became a little gamy and very dry, with this gunpowder that came back. Bitter chocolate, some ginger, heavy herbal liqueur (starting with a J., dear) or even this weird thing called Schinken häger. Ever tried that?

Finish: long, dry, very chocolaty. Quite some white pepper. Smokier and ashier aftertaste.

Gal Granov (92)

Nose: This one is all about big, big sherry. A few whiffs of vinegar up front, which is not something extraordinary in those big sherry monsters. Then i’m getting some Shitake mushroom sauce. Turmeric. Tobacco leaves. Sweet marmite, and cigar box notes.

Palate: Cigar leaves, it’s almost as licking a cigar box. with some spicy chilly and quite a lot of Sherry influence , Smoke. Leather. Sweet wood. Salt.

Finish : Chilly. Sherry. Black dried fruit. Prune paste. Demerara sugar. Tobacco.


Another splendid Karuizawa with a lot of sherry goodness for the sherry lover, with the expected tobacco and dried fruit, with enough smoke to make it shine. Not as chocolaty and bitter coffee effect as in the previous one I’ve reviewed the Cask #7576.

Words of Whisky (92)