You will probably remember the Glenfarclas 1953 cask #1674, the 58 years old cask that was bottled in February 2012 for WealthSolutions, a Polish company that provides investment opportunities.
A year later they presented this Karuizawa 1964 cask #3603, which was the oldest Karuizawa at that time (no trace of the 1960 back then). This 400-litre sherry cask was filled on September 1st 1964 and yielded 143 bottles (plus 200 miniatures), all pre-sold to WealthSolutions investors.
It comes in a box of dark black fossil oak – extremely old wood recovered from Polish swamps – quite appropriate as Karuizawa means swamp.
Karuizawa 48 yo 1964 (57,7%, Number One Drinks for WealthSolutions 2013, cask #3603, 143 btl.)
Nose: well rounded and fruity. There’s blood orange and melon, apricot preserve, even a hint of pineapple alongside the obligatory juicy plums and cherries. Spanish fig bread. Chocolate notes. Impressive for this age. A second layer is darker, more earthy, with moss and high class Pu Erh. Cinnamon and rose pepper, some overtones of mint as well. The most delicate layer is leathery and shows oriental incense / waxed exotic woods, typical for old Karuizawa.
Mouth: a similar basket of red fruits, black cherries, Seville oranges, guava, fresh figs… Surprisingly tropical, honeyed and very juicy. Well balanced oak tannins and walnut liqueur, together with the waxy notes. Pepper. Some liquorice too.
Finish: very long, drying but impressively full with echoes of sweet fruit jams, chocolate and spices.
It’s too easy to say this is amazingly fresh for a 48 years old. I would say it’s mature rather than fresh, but it managed to retain such a great sweetness and fruitiness. For me the first Karuizawa that matches the wonderful 1967. Sold for € 10.000 a bottle. There’s one available from Master of Malt, with some inflation.