Pretty special to taste a vintage closed Japanese distiller’s whiskey. Try it if ever possible, there’s nothing like Karuizawa on the market today. NOSE: Cigar smoke, heavy rich dates and plums. Rancio is gentle, more like a wet cigar. PALATE: Deep hard hitting flavor of plum jam and barbeque char, strong ginger spice, ending in a cigar fume. OVERALL: It’s really ahead of its time in 99/2000, as heavy sherry with peat is now en mode. Imagine a Japanese version of a sherry Islay, crafted into harmony while maintaining a punchy character. It’s a beautiful thing!