Karuizawa Asama 2nd Edition 1999/2000 Vintages 50.5%abv

Karuizawa Asama 2Nose: Cloves, brandy snaps, dried fruits, golden syrup, blood oranges, nail polish remover, rubber, hints of dust and fruit mold.
Palate: Dried fruits, mixed herbs, tingly spices, brandy snaps, salt, golden syrup, Arnotts savory shapes, a ginger ale/cola blend, rubber, fruit mold, spearmint, some nuttiness. Adding some water the spicy flavors are enhanced, but so to are the acetone one’s.
Finish: Arnotts savory shapes, mixed herbs, spearmint, rubber, brandy snaps, quite oily and quite long.
Last Word: The clarity of the flavors is not to bad but the balance isn’t top notch. Still, I enjoyed this more than I thought even though I wouldn’t rush out an buy a bottle.

Rating: 80/100

*Thanks to Clint at Whiskiesrus for the large sample. You can check out Clint’s review here.

4 thoughts on “Karuizawa Asama 2nd Edition 1999/2000 Vintages 50.5%abv

  1. Regardless, one thing for certain is it was priced accordingly in my opinion. At its cheapest some retailers were selling it at around 8,000 or a little under, making it affordable enough to like or dislike. If was priced higher then I’d certainly be questioning value for money.

    • Priced for the time Clint. I’ve bought single cask Karuizawa for around that price previously. Not now!!

  2. I remember that I did not very much enjoy this. In particular, there was a distinct metallic aftertaste in the finish that I found very offputting. Not 80 points in my book.

    • I can understand that Pierre. I have scored it against mega priced Karuizawa that others score in the 90’s that I have found worse than this one.

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