This Karuizawa 1968 is the successor of the Karuizawa 1967 which was received very well last year. As far as I know, another (bigger) part of this cask was bottled for Whisky Live Taipei.
Karuizawa 1968 (61,1%, OB 2010 for LMdW, sherry cask #6955, 210 btl.)
Nose: starts on notes of sandalwood, plum liqueur and oak polish. Quite huge. Very fragrant with some solvent notes and wax. Very Karuizawa, yet unmistakably different from the 1967. This one is smoother, more elegant but also less wide, less of a labyrinth. After a while, it shows fabulous notes of tangerine and apricot and it becomes quite floral. Some leathery hints. Great with some water too: the fresh, slightly sour fruity notes stand out.
Mouth: immediately quite dry, with hints of black tea. Very high on tannins. Then a remarkable wave of (light) tobacco comes out, with cedar wood and other oaky associations. Orange peel. Cinnamon. Some vegetal / forestal notes. Overall the oak is a little too firm for me.
Finish: long, still very dry with a little pepper, clove, dark chocolate and Seville oranges.
Excellent nose, on par with the 1967. On the palate, it shows a lot of oak and tannins which takes down the overall complexity. This leads to a rather conservative score, but Karuizawa has a due date too, you know. Around € 285 – sold out.
Score: 90/100