Karuizawa 19 yo (1988/2007) Sherry Wood

Review by Nonjatta contributor - Serge Valentin

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"Karuizawa 19 yo 1988/2007 (60.6%, The Whisky Fair, sherry wood)
Colour: Amber with green hues.
Nose: Very similar to the 1981 but a tad more discreet and more marked by the sherry (but not by the wood) at first nosing. Maybe a little more tobacco and old leather. Great menthol as well. Gets a little beefy after a while. Hints of lovage and dried parsley. Gets really big after a while and maybe a little more complex than the 1981. This is great. With water: it has got more a mineral, mashier taste. A tad more austere now. Funny how it diverges from the 1981 with water. Also notes of ham. Excellent anyway.
Mouth (neat): Very, very close to the 1981, with maybe an extra-roundness (sultanas) and a bigger fruitiness (dried bananas, figs). It’s superb, I must say, but let’s not tempt fate and add a little water to it: it got even closer to the 1981, with maybe just a few more orangey notes and a little less spice and oak. Similar finish. Just as excellent I think. SGP:676 - 91 points."
(Serge`s 100 point scoring system is explained on this page and the more precise SGP is explained here)