Tasted #421: Karuizawa 1984 Single Cask #3692 28yo

As a final post for 2018, I thought it fitting to not only post my thoughts on a fantastic whisky, but one that's symbolic of the camaraderie and friendships that whisky can bring about.

See, in addition to this blog I spend a fair bit of time on both Instagram and Facebook, often talking about whisky. Through both platforms (and Twitter) I've made some amazing friendships with whisky lovers all over the world, with whom we regularly discuss and share samples of whiskies (when we can't meet in person for a few drams).

That's how I came to get a hold of a sample of this stunning 1984 Karuizawa single cask. @maltandbean (who writes HalfDram.com), someone I'd come to know through a mutual interest in whisky, was in Hong Kong and we caught up at Club Qing (of course) for a few drams. I'd brought a sample to share, as had he....and it was this Karuizawa. @maltandbean, it turns out, is one of those rare people who not only buys some incredible whiskies, but actually opens them too. Applause all round. 👏🏼

Photo taken from The Whisky Exchange

Bottled at a not-insignificant 61.6% ABV in 2012 at 28 years old, there were 359 bottles produced from a single sherry butt.

Karuizawa 1984 single cask #3692 (61.6% ABV, 28yo, Japan, One of 359 bottles, no longer readily available...at least not at a reasonable price sadly!)

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Colour: Dark copper brown, with an orange tinge.

Nose: There's noticeable sulphur at first (it dissipates slightly over time), but there's also sweet BBQ'd pineapple rings, strawberries and cream, floral pot-pourri and more - leather, some oak, molasses, and some earthy notes. Incredibly complex, and extremely inviting. A few drops of water just amps everything up a notch. Simply an amazing nose.

Palate: Similar to the nose. Initially some burnt match heads, but then comes the sweetness - cookies and cream ice cream, strawberry shortbread and more pineapple (cooked). It doesn't feel 60%+ ABV, though a few drops of water does open things up even more. Absolutely delicious - the sort of whisky you just want to keep taking sips of. Truly one of the tastiest drams I've had this year.

Finish: Long, creamy, floral, and lingering. There's some vanilla cream spice that lasts for the longest time, and you wish it lasted even longer.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  93/100. @maltandbean opened this to celebrate the birth of his daughter, and all I can say is it's an incredibly fitting whisky for such a momentous occasion. Not every Karuizawa is a good Karuizawa, but when they're good, wow, they're great. This one falls clearly into the latter camp.

A huge thanks to @maltandbean for this, and to all my whisky mates around the world for the drams, laughs, knowledge, samples and above all, friendship.

Hope you all have a fantastic 2019, and thanks for continuing to read our blog. We look forward to bringing you plenty more interesting stories in the new year - our 6th year!

Cheers,

Martin.

50 Year old Karuizawa, 1902 Highland Park and other results from the Bonhams Hong Kong Whisky Auction (Jan 2016)

Back in August last year we did a little write-up of the Bonhams Hong Kong whisky auction we'd just attended. That particular auction saw some ridiculously high prices, including over $900k HKD (over $160k AUD at the time) for a single bottle of Karuizawa (1960 52yo), and a complete set of Ichiro's Malt Cards (for $3,797,500 HKD, or $685,000AUD).

At the time, we questioned whether the bubble was about to burst....

Well, we've just returned from Bonhams' latest whisky auction tonight, and whilst it wasn't a disaster by any means, prices (in almost all cases) definitely seem to have come down from their peak in August last year.

Right from the outset, it was clear that bidding activity wasn't going to be on par with August. Lots were selling...but in many cases, at the very bottom of their estimate range, if not even lower. A 1986 Macallan 18 couldn't fetch $6,000HKD ($1,097AUD), and lots that would typically command bidding frenzies seemed to finish in the middle of their estimate range (like this 32yo Macallan Fine & Rare 1970, which went for $67,375HKD inc premium, compared to this younger 1976 which fetched $88,200HKD last time around).

When we moved onto the Japanese whiskies (always a favourite in Hong Kong), it was a similar story. Whereas last August, 1981 Karuizawas were fetching in the $30k HKD range, and some as high as $58k, this time most barely managed to reach $25k, with one going for $19k.

As we'd speculated before though, the super, ultra rare whiskies (i.e. not your average ~30yo Karuizawa of which there seems to be a LOT) fared well, with this 1960 50yo Karuizawa selling for $490,000HKD ($89,800AUD) - double its highest estimate. It must be quite a rare bottle, because we couldn't find any information on it outside of this auction. It looks a lot like this 1960 Karuizawa (a 47yo), and is even bottled at the same ABV, but is clearly from a different cask. We'd love to know more...

This 42yo Karuizawa also fared well, smashing its estimate to take in $232,750HKD inc. premium. Clearly the ultra rare Japanese whiskies are still in demand.

Last August we made specific mention of how Glenfiddich didn't garner a lot of interest in that auction, and how it often doesn't fare well on the auction circuit in general (hey, more for us to drink!) Interestingly, one of two bottles on offer at tonight's auction actually exceeded it's $18-$22k HKD range, selling for $25k HKD ($30,625HKD inc premium). Sometimes you just can't tell...

Other lots of note included:

• 1950 52yo Macallan Fine and Rare $170k HKD (before premium) on a $160-190k estimate
• Yamazaki "Age Unknown" only reaching $45k HKD (before premium) on a $50-65k estimate (and apparently not selling)
• A lot of 4 Van Winkles (not including a 23yo) failing to sell, only reaching $25k HKD (before premium) on a $30-38k estimate
• This Highland Park, from 1902, which went for $85,750HKD (inc premium).

Springbanks fared reasonably well, with some exceeding their estimates, and some Hanyus also did well, especially this Ace of Spades which went for $85k HKD (before premium) on a $60-80k estimate.

Now of course, it's important to keep a level head here. The prices attained for most of the whiskies are still huge amounts of money. Even $19k HKD (almost $3,500AUD) for a "common" Karuizawa is a significant amount of money, and still well ahead of what it sold for just 2-3 years ago...

...but I can't help but feel we're on a downward slope, and we might see this "cooling off" continue throughout 2016. Only time will tell of course, but if it means more whiskies will be opened and enjoyed, and more people will be buying whiskies to drink, then we're all for it!

(As a final note - huge thumbs up to Bonhams for their fantastic range of drams served to attendees tonight. Amongst the 13 whiskies on offer were TWO Port Ellens, a 1960's Henry McKenna Bourbon, a Cask Strength Macallan and a 10yo Old Rip Van Winkle. Tasty drams indeed.)

Cheers,
Martin.

New world record price for Japanese Whisky at Bonhams Hong Kong Auction - 52 yo Karuizawa sells for over $900,000 HKD

Tonight we attended Bonhams Hong Kong's latest Whisky auction which, in addition to having a full set of Ichiro's Malt "Cards" series (all 54 "cards", including the incredibly rare Monochrome Joker), also featured more Karuizawa than we've seen in a single auction ever.

I went along not planning to buy anything (I did register, just in case), but more out of curiosity and to get a feel for the market. Having attended a few Spink auctions in Hong Kong, I knew that there were a lot of crazy prices being asked for whisky (in particular, Japanese whisky), but it didn't always seem those prices were being achieved. I wondered if the Japanese whisky market had hit its peak.

Well if tonight's auction was anything to go by - it most certainly had not.

Single cask Karuizawas (always a hit) consistently smashed their estimates, often going for 30-50% above their upper estimate. Hanyus and other single cask Japanese whiskies were similarly fetching far more than the higher estimates set in the catalogue. It was not uncommon to see a 30+ year old single cask 'zawa fetch $75,000 to $110,000 HKD ($13,500 to $20,000 AUD).

You almost got the sense that even the auctioneer (a consummate professional, we should add), couldn't believe his luck, but was loving it regardless. Certainly some of the audience (both online and in the room) were slightly in awe.

Is it investors looking to move their money somewhere other than the Chinese stock market? An insatiable love of whisky (we doubt it), or something else? Who knows, but it seems the popularity of Japanese whisky on the auction circuit just keeps rising and rising (for now). Even whiskies from current distilleries performed incredibly well.

The small parcel of Scotch on offer, mostly made up of Macallan but with a few interesting Bowmores, Laphroaigs and others, did reasonably well too, although as seems to be the case often in these auctions, there wasn't a lot of interest in the Glenfiddichs.

The full results can be found here, but the two lots that clearly stole the show were as follows:

• Karuizawa 1960 52 year old ("The Cockerel"), which sold for $918,750 HKD (inc. premium). For our Aussie readers, that's $165,000AUD. For one bottle of (admittedly very rare) whisky.

• Hanyu Ichiro's Full Cards Series (54 bottles), which sold for $3,797,500 HKD (inc. premium). In AUD? $685,000AUD.

You can see a video of the Karuizawa's winning bid over on our Facebook page (and give us a "Like" while you're at it).

Choo choo, or bubble bubble? Only time will tell.

Cheers,

Martin.

PS: Whether or not buyers are buying to drink or invest, we have to commend Bonhams for their whisky selection offered to all attendees, which included a mix of Japanese, Taiwanese, Scotch, blends, malts and even some IBs. 15 whiskies were on offer and (along with the generous food) made staying through the long proceedings just that little bit better.

Tasted #185 & #186: SMWS 2.89 (Glenlivet) & 132.2 (Karuizawa)

Probably somewhat unsurprisingly, when Steph and I visited The Society in Tokyo (as part of our JapanTour14), we tried a few Scotch Malt Whisky Society drams. Namely, a 20 year old Glenlivet and a 22yo Karuizawa.

Thoughts?

Absolutely fantastic, both of them...

SMWS 2.89 "Slow cooked beef stew" Glenlivet (50.7% ABV, 20yo, One of 332 bottles from a refill hogshead, Speyside, Scotland, only available at auction now it seems)
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Colour: Orange copper

Nose: Fairy floss, followed by toffee.

Palate: Initially hot, but quickly settling to smooth, gentle mouthfilling pleasantness. Whipped cream (but not too sweet), meaty and thick, but also with notes of tropical fruits, and then candied fruits. Slight hints of orange peel and marmalade.

Finish: Short to medium length, with final notes of creme brûlée.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100.

SMWS 132.2 "Stunning panorama of exotic fruits" Karuizawa (62.4% ABV, 22yo, One of 355 bottles from a refill sherry butt, Karuizawa, Japan, only available at auction now it seems)
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Colour: Rich vibrant gold.

Nose: Closed up at first - grassy, candied lemons (even Yuzu lemons). A drop of water brings out more sweetness, in the form of sherbert.

Palate: Hot, so rich and full of plums, then sherbert (again), and finally licorice.

Finish: Slightly drying, spicy. Cherries. Very long, with the tiniest waft of smoke.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. Fantastic, and not just because of the Karuizawa mystique (we tried one absolutely terrible Karuizawa on the trip too - not an SMWS bottling).

Cheers,

Martin.

Bar Review #15: The Society (Tokyo, Japan)

The last Tokyo bar visited as part of our JapanTour14 (before we moved onto whisky bars in Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Niseko and Sapporo - all to be reviewed soon) was The Society, part of the Park Hotel, not far from Tokyo's Ginza district. 

Conveniently located a short walk from the excellent Campbelltoun Loch, The Society is, as the name suggests, an official Scotch Malt Whisky Society bar (the first in Japan). As you might expect, there's a large (100+) selection of the famous green SMWS bottles, and if you don't feel like an SMWS expression...too bad! That's the only whisky on offer.

(When would you ever not feel like an SMWS dram, though?)

The dimly-lit and elegant venue has an illuminated marble U-shaped bar as its centrepiece, commanding views over Tokyo, and a wine rack absolutely full of SMWS bottles. It does feel ever so slightly like a "hotel bar" (albeit a very nice one), but you quickly forget that once you gaze at the menu, and realise what's on offer.

The standard menu contains a smattering of interesting SMWS drams, but it's the secret or member's menu you really want (to see that, show your SMWS membership card, or strike up a conversation with the bartender and hope for the best). Here you'll see Karuizawas and a number of other Japanese SMWS expressions - none of which feature on the regular menu.

Drams are served in official Society glasses (naturally) and while the bar didn't offer half-drams like most Japanese whisky bars, the prices were still very reasonable considering the rarity and quality of the drams on offer (for example - 6 Karuizawas, 132.1 to 132.6, ranging from ¥2100 to ¥5500, or $22AUD/$125HKD to $57AUD/$350HKD). Some drams were available for as little as ¥1400 ($14AUD/$90HKD) at members' prices, which was up to 40% cheaper than the non-member pricing.

The website states no cover charge, but I'm sure we paid a ¥1000 cover charge each (which is pretty standard for a number of smaller Japanese bars), so perhaps they've changed the policy. I'm back there in just over a week, so will confirm then.

There's not really much else to say about the bar - if you like whisky, would like to try some of the rarest, single cask, cask strength Scottish and Japanese malts around, in pleasant surroundings with great views over Tokyo, it's hard to look past this place.

The Society is located on the 25th floor of the Park Hotel Tokyo:

Shiodome Media Tower 1-7-1 Higashi Shimbashi, Minato-ku 1057227 Tokyo

Closest stations: Shiodome Station, Shimbashi Station

Tue-Sat : 22:00-25:30                                               

Sun-Mon: 22:00-23:00 

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #27: Karuizawa 12yo (original bottling)

Since following Nonjatta (which I see as the quintessential resource for Japanese whisky) and learning about Karuizawa, I've been wanting to try it. Like Islay's Port Ellen (but in Japan), Karuizawa is a mothballed distillery selling old stock, often 25+ years old and sometimes for hundreds if not thousands per bottle.  Unlike Port Ellen though, there are some younger releases available for a reasonable price.

I was keen to try an Original Bottling / standard distillery release (there are many examples of rare Karuizawas released for shops/bars/specific occasions etc..) so when I saw a 12yo OB on the menu at The Auld Alliance in Singapore (see link for my review), I ordered it straight away.

So, what did I think of this "Port Ellen of the East"?

Karuizawa 12yo (40% ABV, 12yo, Original Bottling, Japan)
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Nose: Sweet, but not a huge sherry hit. Lots of figs.

Palate: Fresh, smooth, but with a youthful tang that gives this away as a  (relatively) young whisky. If I had to give it a style, I'd call it a lighter, "aperitif" whisky.

Finish: Medium length with fresh fruits (and those figs) coming back in waves.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100. A nice whisky, but I wouldn't rush out for a bottle.


Cheers,
 - Martin.