Karuizawa 1981/2012 for LMdW, cask 162
Another superb mark for Karuizawa
0 491
nReview by @numen
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall91
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from a purchased sample
Nose: Surprisingly quiet at first. Strawberries and cherries open the show, and eventually an elegant stream of 'dirty' sherry emerges, along with brown sugar paste simmering with dark medjool dates, plums, cinnamon, and sawdust. More refined than robust, especially for one of these Karuizawa. (with water) Sherry, cedar, brown sugar, and salty meat. Rather softer and sweeter here, almost bourbony, though more richly fruity.
Palate: BAM! Honey, orange, light red fruit, and then a volley of cannons (it's the gunpowder). A little meaty, especially after the mid-palate. Salt and fruit open and close this baby. (with water) Do you like dates and figs? I sure do. So this is great. There is some wood and a drop of bacon grease and salt for good measure.
Finish: Ham, dirty sherry, candied dates, oranges, and wood. Really great stuff. My only complaint is that the nose was as subdued/mellow as it was at first (water helped a little), and the gunpowder was a bit of a shock. I'd have preferred a bit less, but I can't complain too much. I like these things. A lot.
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I have a bottle of this at home. Good to see that you liked it. In my opinion this is one of the older Karuizawa bottlings that completely live up to the hype. I particularly liked the whiff of smoke right at the end. Wonder whether you got that.