Karuizawa 1971 Cask 6878 64.1%

There is more and more good quality Japanese whiskies coming on the market these days thanks in many ways to the guys at the Number One Drinks Company I hope that they keep up the good work. This one is an old one at an amazing strength for its age 64.1%

For a good review of the distillery check out the excellent Nonjatta site

Anyway lets try it.

Nose: Big rich sherry nose, warm leather, cinnamon, and a touch of metallic fruits (like when making Jam). There is almost a hint of smoke as well - the alcohol does hit you if you breath in too sharply. Water opens this up a lot and gives more of the smoked cheese note and also a faint hint of a farmyard - but in a good organic kind of way.

Taste: Lots of prickly alcohol, and then smoked cheese and marmalade. At full strength this is hot! Quite a bit of sandalwood. With water it is softer and the smoke becomes a bit more pronounced and more like wood smoke.

Finish: Long and spicy with a touch of incense sticks. Becomes more like clove studded oranges with more cinnamon once water is added.

Comment: What a dram! Not one you would drink a lot of on one sitting but full of character and definately worth seeking out if you can find it!

Score: 90/100

For a superior review check out Dave Brooms and Gavin Smiths