Karuizawa 1984/2012 Koi (The Whisky Exchange) cask 4021
Big brutally great sherry monster
0 492
nReview by @numen
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall92
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From tasting notes back in March:
Nose: Some cedar, but high on game meats, dried fruit nibs. Jam! Strawberries, coffee, and something slightly bitter that's 'off,' but delicious. Also some orange marmalade along with a mix of coffee and dark chocolate tones. (with water) bourbon honey, if you know what I mean, and caramel. wood, coconut, and a cedar box. very dark dates. what a transformation! eventually more coffee and very light game notes. the subtle salt is really splendid.
Palate: Wow! the entry is red berries and orange liqueur. this quickly yields to some wooden bitterness, just temporarily and then blends into gorgeous coffee and sherry after a lovely 5-course meal. Pecans, peppers, pralines, as well as burnt sugar and chai tea in the background. (with water) Sweeter, and again more rum+bourbon, but the scotchy sherry notes return. extremely graceful.
Finish: long and elegant, with coffee, subtle berries, caramel coated fruit, oxidative sherry notes, and wood. This is a sherry bomb, but it never loses itself in any direction. The gamey meats help keep these sorts of things in check, and these do very, very well for me
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Re-taste: You still get the really intriguing cedar and wood oils in there, with the fruit remaining a bit on red berries and chocolate malt. It definitely keeps to the caramelly side of things, but no mere candied apple covering. There was, perhaps, a touch more astringency along with the wood oils, especially compared to the #679, but this was excellent in a brutal, powerhouse way.