{"product_id":"karuizawa-30-year-old-1983-first-geisha-single-bourbon-cask-8606-bottled-2013-55-8-abv-350-bottles-70cl","title":"Karuizawa 30 Year Old 1983 — First Geisha | Single Bourbon Cask #8606 | Bottled 2013 | 55.8% ABV | 350 Bottles | 70cl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe First Geisha is the inaugural label of the Karuizawa Geisha series — the release that introduced the world to the concept of Karuizawa single casks presented with classical Japanese woodblock print artwork. Cask #8606, distilled in 1983 and bottled in 2013 at 30 years old, is a single bourbon cask expression at natural cask strength of 55.8% ABV. Just 350 bottles were produced from this single cask. The \"First\" designation makes this a founding piece of the most celebrated and reproduced whisky label in Japanese whisky history.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKaruizawa's bourbon cask releases carry a distinct character from their sherry cask counterparts: lighter, more fruit-forward and more accessible, yet with the same underlying mountainous Nagano character — concentrated, clean and utterly unlike any Scotch or Irish equivalent. At 30 years in a single bourbon barrel, this is the most refined and complex expression of that style the First Geisha series offers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKey Details\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDistillery: Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan — closed 2000, demolished 2011\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExpression: 30 Year Old — First Geisha Series\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVintage: Distilled 1983\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAge: 30 Years Old\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBottled: 2013\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStyle: Japanese Single Malt Whisky\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCask: Single bourbon cask — Cask #8606\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBottling strength: 55.8% ABV — Cask Strength\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBottle size: 70cl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOutturn: 350 bottles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eColouring \/ filtration: Natural colour, Non-Chill-Filtered\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition: Perfect, with original packaging\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTasting Notes\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNose: The bourbon cask character shines — vanilla, toasted caramel and ripe orchard fruit lead, with the warmth and concentration that thirty years in a single American oak barrel delivers. Tropical fruit notes — pineapple, dried mango — emerge alongside a subtle cedarwood earthiness that is distinctly Japanese and distinctly Karuizawa.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePalate: Full-bodied, oily and expressive at cask strength. The fruit leads — apricot, dried pear and concentrated stone fruit — with warm spice, toffee and a growing oakiness from the long maturation in bourbon wood. A refined and beautifully integrated dram that shows what this distillery could achieve with different wood.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFinish: Long and satisfying — the bourbon cask warmth and fruit sweetness fading slowly alongside a lingering light smoke and cedar quality.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhy This Bottle Is Worth Bidding On\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe inaugural label of the Karuizawa Geisha series: historically, this label launched one of the most iconic and valuable visual identities in Japanese whisky, and a bottle carrying the \"First\" label is a founding piece of that story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e350 bottles from a single 30-year-old bourbon cask of a permanently closed distillery is an extraordinary rarity — bourbon cask Karuizawa at this age and outturn is far harder to find than the sherry expressions that dominate the secondary market\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKaruizawa First Geisha bottles continue to command premium prices at specialist auction globally; collectors actively seek the inaugural Geisha label as the origin point of the series. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Whiskys Auction","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55147909710161,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0827\/4028\/1681\/files\/DB91FBB2-4D84-4686-91A8-7EE7D8D9D8FB.webp?v=1790872589","url":"https:\/\/whiskysauction.co.uk\/products\/karuizawa-30-year-old-1983-first-geisha-single-bourbon-cask-8606-bottled-2013-55-8-abv-350-bottles-70cl","provider":"Whiskys Auction","version":"1.0","type":"link"}