A 1984 Karuizawa from sherry butt #3186, bottled in 2012 for the Taiwanese retailer P9 under a geisha label. It was filled at 58.0% into 540 bottles.
About This Whisky
By 2012 Karuizawa had a keen following in Taiwan, and several local shops and clubs bottled their own casks. P9 chose this one and gave it a geisha label of its own. It is a separate release from the Geisha pairs later bottled for The Whisky Exchange. After about 28 years in the butt it still filled 540 bottles at 58.0%.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dark dried fruit, old sherry oak, cocoa and leather, with a polished-wood note.
- Palate: Dense and firm. Raisin, plum and bitter chocolate, then tobacco and clove.
- Finish: Long, with sherry spice and drying oak.
Serving & Food
Let a small pour rest in a tulip glass for ten minutes before nosing, then add water drop by drop. Good with braised beef cheek, Stilton or dark chocolate with dried cherries.
How to Enjoy
Collectors of the Taiwan-market Karuizawa bottlings, and drinkers who like a classic dark sherry profile.
Product Details
Distillery: Karuizawa (closed)
Label: Geisha label, bottled for P9, Taiwan
Vintage: 1984
Bottled: 2012
Age: 28 years old
Cask: Sherry butt #3186
Edition Size: 540 bottles
ABV: 58.0%
Country: Japan
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Karuizawa's kit was small by any measure. It was the smallest distillery in Japan, working with four small copper pot stills, and its spirit came off heavy and oily.
When the distillery was cleared, its stills were sold off. Gaia Flow bought them for its new Shizuoka distillery, and one has been brought back into use there, so part of Karuizawa's equipment still makes whisky today.