Karuizawa 1990 cask 679 56.1%

A friend's new acquisition: tasted this 2012 bottling side by side with the 1981 Karuizawa.

Smooth, easy drinking leather and wood, sweet and sherried but less dried fruit, and certainly none of the smokiness of the 1981. Until recently, my only experience of Japanese whisky had been a 12 year old Yamazaki several years ago and the woodiness of the nose/initial mouth reminded me of that. It's still very nice, but not as exceptional as the 1981.