Karuizawa 14, 1999-2013, H.S.T. bottling, Sake Shop Sato version, Sherry butt no. 2316, 61.3% abv.

This is a joint bottling for Liquors Hasegawa, Sake Shop Sato, and Whisky Shop Tamagawaya. There seem to be two label versions of this bottle; one with a brown label with a map of Japan and text saying HST and one with a vibrant, golf-playing Santa. I believe the vibrant, golf-playing Santa was for Sake Shop Sato only.

Nose: major vanilla, coconuts, pineapples, quite sweet-tropical. Aromatic.

Palate: initial palate is absent but after a few sips there is a fruit element, a sharp and intense sourness hits the mid palate, perhaps a fruity citrus, and the back palate is like finishing cake. Genuinely surprised.

Finish: short, dry, a little bit of wood and iron smoke. Not sure where this last bit came from, but coule have been influenced by the sediment I found.

A nice Zawa, didn't expect that profile for a 14 year old Zawa. The nose was extremely good, the flavors seemed unbalanced and the finish was too short. Even so, the flavors are nice, with each aspect being full of flavor. Delicious!

Grade: B+

Couldn't find quantifiable, reliable reviews.

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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