Karuizawa 36 Year Old Sapphire Geisha

Billy Abbott, The Whisky Exchange

• Nose

  Rich dried fruit, sweet leather and mushroomy earthiness. The sweeter notes lead, with dried cherries and raisins joined by chamois leather, mint imperials and damp autumn leaves. The leafy notes become earthier, with touches of old spirit rancio and dark damp wood developing. Pine builds alongside mint, with cedar not far behind, fragrant and spicy.

• Palate

  A kick of chocolate-covered liquorice leads to spicy leaves, cinnamon heat and concentrated fruit: pineapple, mango, apple and pear compressed to a singularity of flavour. Blackcurrants and damp oak develop, all coated in fruity, bittersweet dark chocolate. Hints of tar emerge, wrapped around pine twigs and run through with spice and brown-sugar sweetness.

• Finish

  Mint and pine linger, with soft dried fruit sweetness and hints of black liquorice.