French Karuizawa bourbon vs. sherry

September 9, 2014

French Karuizawa bourbon vs. sherry

This year La Maison could already get two casks of Karuizawa via owners/distributors Number One Drinks, one bourbon and one sherry. More than time to try these cult babies with their very unassuming labels. Because it’s all about the content, isn’t it!

Karuizawa 1984/2014 (58.5%, OB for La Maison du Whisky, bourbon, cask #8173, 363 bottles)

Colour: dark amber. Nose: a pretty magnificent woodiness here, that is to say not only polished oak, but also other species, such as eucalyptus wood and many precious woods, but I just couldn’t tell you which ones. Maybe rosewood? I imagine the interior of a 1950’s Rolls Royce when it was brand new (maybe!) Other than that, there’s a little smoke, there’s tobacco for sure and there’s a faint chalkiness. I also find dry sherry, or vin jaune, as well as their walnut notes. Also a little humus and mushrooms. Perfect. One strawberry or two after ten minutes. With water: the menthol comes out, old herbal liqueurs, verbena, chartreuse… This is almost a blend of essential oils. Having said that it gets much quieter after just one minute. Mouth (neat): huge and incredibly fruity! You would think that this massive woodiness would overwhelm the spirit and just make the whole extremely dry, while that’s exactly what’s not happening. We’re gravitating around sweeter citrus, that is to say kumquats, oranges and mandarins, covered with crushed cloves and ground pepper. Christmassy? You said it. With water: same profile, just even more vivid and ‘nervous’. Perfect oranges. Finish: long, never embarrassingly oak, always fresh albeit massive. The hidden child of a sumotori and a ballerina. Comments: I think I found this one ampler and more complex than other ex-bourbon Karuizawas. We’re close to the best sherried versions in my opinion. SGP:662 - 92 points.

Karuizawa 1981/2014 (54.5%, OB for La Maison du Whisky, sherry, cask #152, 566 bottles)

Colour: dark amber, but slightly paler than the bourbon. Ha! Nose: it’s not that different at first nosing, and it’s all probably more a matter of wood than a matter of sherry as such. After a few seconds, this one develops rather on resinous wood, thuja, pine and such (and cedar), becoming more balsamic than the bourbon version, more herbal as well. Camphor, thyme… and just as much tobacco. It’s almost like nosing a newly opened pack of pipe tobacco. With water: hurray! Old pu-erh tea, lapsang souchong, mushrooms, very old vin jaune, pinewood smoke… Mouth (neat): once again, we aren’t that far from the bourbon version. Same oranges and mandarins, same spices, just a little more roundness and easiness, maybe because of the lower strength. So yeah, it’s a wee bit lighter, but don’t get me wrong, it’s huge whisky. With water: this is precious old earthy tea – that’s right, our beloved old pu-erhs. I don’t quite understand why they’ve added ethanol to it ;-). Finish: long, becoming even earthier, with some tannins dancing on your tongue. I mean, a feeling of tannins. Comments: why are all the finer things in life so rare? You’re right, and so expensive? I was ready to go as high as 94, but the slightly drying tannins in the finish made me revise my score. Well, I’d say it’s a tie, although I’m now starting to wonder if the bourbon wasn’t a little… better balanced? Yes, we’re splitting hairs again… SGP:562 - 92 points.

Check the index of all Japanese I've tasted so far