Noh Whisky
Alongside the Hanyu Playing cards, the Noh Whisky series is probably one of the most famous in the history of Japanese whisky and is famous both for its high quality and its connections to classic Japanese culture.
Number One Drinks and Kamiasobi
Noriko Kakuda Croll and David Croll founded a whisky import business in Japan in the late 1990s. Through this company, they ended up meeting Whisky Magazine’s editor Marcin Miller. Together they created a Japanese edition of Whisky Magazine and, in 2000, Whisky Live. In 2005, they founded the Number One Drinks Company to export outstanding Japanese whiskies such as Karuizawa and Hanyu, first in Europe and then worldwide. After an unsuccessful attempt to buy Karuizawa from Kirin, they consoled themselves with the purchase of the distillery’s stock (364 casks) in August 2011.
It is to these negotiations and this transaction that we owe the Noh Whisky series, a collection released to support the Kamiasobi theatre company founded in 1997 by five young men whose family connections to Noh theatre go back several centuries. The company and Number One Drinks first came to the public’s attention at Whisky Live Japan 2008, where Kamiasobi performed extracts from a theatre piece about the god of whisky. Their masks, and occasionally their actors (in mask and costume), are depicted on the series’ labels, and in exchange the theatre company are paid royalties.
Noh theatre
Noh is a style of theatre whose origins date back to the 14th century. It is derived from two older forms of popular entertainment—dengaku and sarugaku—which were combined to create Noh by sarugaku master Kan’ami Kiyotsugu (1333-1383). His work was continued by his son Zeami Motokiyo (1363-1443), who wrote many theatre pieces and treaties on the art of performance. After a show in 1374, the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu decided to offer the company his protection, thus securing the genre’s future. Its rules have remained unchanged ever since.
Written in poetic and literary language, Noh librettos are inspired by the legends and works of classic literature. They often tell stories of war, love or jealousy... The story is interpreted by the actors through song and dance, accompanied by a bamboo concert flute, two or three drums and a choir. The décor is limited to a square blank stage, a roof and a wall at the back of the stage depicting a tree, with the other elements being described by the choir.
Some pieces are linear and realistic, while others involve supernatural characters. In the latter, there are two characters, the main actor (shite), who is masked, and a supporting actor (waki), who is unmasked, and sometimes other accompanying performers (tsure). The main character appears first in their reincarnated form, then, after dialogue with the supporting character, reveals their true nature and reappears in the form of their ghost reliving a past event.
Although some masks represent a specific character, most represent categories of characters, such as demons, the elderly, women or gods. They are identified through elements like their hair, skin, and the shape of their eyes and mouth. The masks are generally sculpted from a single piece of Japanese Cypress wood (hinoki), except for older pieces, which were made from Camphor or Paulownia. They are varnished on the back side, then coated in a liquid made from a base of powdered oyster shell known as gofun. After drying and polishing, the eyes, mouth and hair are drawn onto the mask with Indian ink and pigment. They are then aged artificially to create a timeless look.
To interpret their roles, actors use a series of codified movements (kata). Although most are abstract, some mimic an identifiable feeling or gesture. The emotions of the characters are expressed through the positioning of the mask, making it a key element in Noh theatre.
The National Noh Theatre (Shibuya, Tokyo)
The Noh Whisky series
While the series is world-renowned, few know that the first bottling in the range was in fact a Scottish whisky, Royal Brackla 1993, followed by a Caol Ila 1995, both of which were bottled at 46% in 20 cl bottles. Two Karuizawa were released in 2010 in the same format, this time at cask strength. Two Hanyu are also found in the range, bottled in 2009 and 2010 respectively. After this, the series focused entirely on Karuizawa.
It covers the majority of the distillery’s history, featuring distillations from the early 1970s up until its closure in 2000. The collection is fairly typical for Karuizawa, with many casks from the 1980s (especially the first half, which was a prosperous period before the start of its decline in the middle of the decade), a healthy share of casks from the 1990s, and a few rare vintages from the 1970s. There are no casks from the 1960s. The same can be said of the casks, seen in a majority of sherry casks, a handful of bourbon casks and three wine casks (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), at least two of which were from the Mercian Katsunuma Winery, the property of Sanraku Shuzo since 1961 (renamed Mercian in 1990), also Karuizawa’s former owner. Despite this, Marcin Miller has stated that the range was designed to showcase original maturations with profiles that differed from those offered by Number One Drinks under its standard labels.
Without listing the entire set, the series went on to include bottlings of gin aged in Karuizawa casks and Mizunara casks (Japanese oak). Ki Noh Bi is a variation of Ki No Bi, the gin produced by The Kyoto Distillery, founded in 2014 by Noriko Kakuda Croll, David Croll and Marcin Miller, also behind Number One Drinks. As implied by the name, the distillery is in Kyoto and produces gin from ingredients mainly grown in the prefecture of the same name, like the yuzu, sansho and gyokuru grown in Uji, south of Kyoto. At the time of writing, the series is in its 26th edition.
List of bottlings in the range
Royal Brackla 12 Year Old 1993 Kamiasobi’s Original Single Malt Whisky
46%, 20 cl
Caol Ila 12 Year Old 1995 Noh Whisky
46%, 20 cl, Sherry Hogshead
Karuizawa 19 Year Old 1991 Noh Whisky
60.8%, 20 cl, 2010, Sherry Butt #3206
Karuizawa 13 Year Old 1997 Noh Whisky
60.2%, 20 cl, 2010, Sherry Butt #3312
Karuizawa 30 Year Old 1977 Noh Whisky
62.8%, 70 cl, 2008, Sherry Butt #7026, 528 bottles for La Maison du Whisky (France)
Karuizawa 13 Year Old 1995 Noh Whisky
63%, 75 cl, 2008, Japanese Wine Cask #5007, 246 bottles
Karuizawa 12 Year Old 1995 Noh Whisky
63%, 70 cl, 2008, Japanese Wine Cask #5004, 186 bottles
Karuizawa 32 Year Old 1976 Noh Whisky
63%, 70 cl, 2009, Sherry Butt #6719, 486 bottles
Karuizawa 14 Year Old 1995 Noh Whisky
59.4%, 70 cl, 2009, Wine Cask #5039, 222 bottles for Dr Jekill’s Pub (Oslo, Norway)
Karuizawa 32 Year Old 1977 Noh Whisky
60.7%, 70 cl, 2010, Sherry Butt #4592, 190 bottles
Karuizawa 15 Year Old 1994 Noh Whisky
62.7%, 70 cl, 2010, Sherry Butt #270, 480 bottles
Karuizawa Multiple Vintages #1 (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984) Noh Whisky
59.1%, 70 cl, 2011, Sherry Butt & Bourbon Cask #6405 #4973 #8184 #6437, 1,500 bottles for La Maison du Whisky (France)
Karuizawa 32 Year Old Cask 1980 Noh Whisky
50.4%, 70 cl, 2012, Sherry Butt #7614, 102 bottles for Taiwan
Karuizawa 31 Year Old 1981 Noh Whisky
58.6%, 70 cl, 2012, Sherry Cask #4676, 186 bottles
Karuizawa 29 Year Old 1982 Noh Whisky
58.,8 %, 70 cl, 2012, Bourbon Cask #8529, 411 bottles for The Whisky Exchange (United Kingdom)
Karuizawa 28 Year Old 1983 Noh Whisky
57.2%, 70 cl, 2012, Sherry Butt #7576, 571 bottles
Karuizawa 41 Year Old 1971 Noh Whisky
63.7%, 70 cl, 2013, Bourbon Cask #1842, 82 bottles for Prineus GmbH (Germany)
Karuizawa 32 Year Old 1980 Noh Whisky
59.2%, 70 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #3565, 335 bottles
Karuizawa 31 Year Old 1981 Noh Whisky
58.9%, 70 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #348, 207 bottles for Sweden and Denmark
Karuizawa 31 Year Old 1981 Noh Whisky
66.3%, 70 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #4333, 94 bottles for Belgium
Karuizawa 31 Year Old 1981 Noh Whisky
62.3%, 75 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #8775, 196 bottles for K&L Wine Merchants (United States)
Karuizawa 31 Year Old 1981 Noh Whisky
56%, 70 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #155, 595 bottles for La Maison du Whisky (France)
Karuizawa 29 Year Old 1983 Noh Whisky
59.4%, 70 cl, 2013, Sherry Hogshead #5322, 205 bottles for La Maison du Whisky (France)
Karuizawa 29 Year Old 1983 Noh Whisky
54.3%, 70 cl, 2013, Bourbon Cask #8552, 130 bottles for La Maison du Whisky (France)
Karuizawa 23 Year Old 1989 Noh Whisky
63.9%, 70 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #7893, 302 bottles for Prineus Gmbh (Germany)
Karuizawa 13 Year Old 1999 Noh Whisky
57.7%, 75 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #869, 500 bottles for K&L Wine Merchants (United States)
Karuizawa 30 Year Old 1984 Noh Whisky
61.4%, 70 cl, 2014, Sherry Butt #3032, 279 bottles for Japan
Karuizawa 30 Year Old 1984 Noh Whisky
58.2%, 70 cl, 2015, Sherry Cask #2030, 522 bottles for Isetan (Japan)
Karuizawa 15 Year Old 2000 Noh Whisky
62.2%, 70 cl, 2015, Sherry Cask #2326, 495 bottles
Karuizawa 22 Year Old 1994 Noh Whisky
62.3%, 70 cl, 2016, Sherry Cask #7640, 435 bottles
Karuizawa 21 Year Old 1994 Noh Whisky
63.6%, 70 cl, 2016, Sherry Cask #6149, 380 bottles
Hanyu 21 Year Old 1988 Noh Whisky
55.6%, 70 cl, 2009, Spanish Oak sherry Butt, #9306, 625 bottles
Hanyu 10 Year Old 2000 Noh Whisky
61%, 70 cl, 2010, Puncheon #6066, 463 bottles
Tasting notes
Karuizawa 31 Year Old 1981 Noh Whisky
56%, 70 cl, 2013, Sherry Butt #155, 595 bottles for La Maison du Whisky (France)
This Karuizawa stands out for of its notes of Mirabelle plum, kumquat and physalis that add nuance to the distillery’s typical trademarks that include incense, old leather and sandalwood, with, at times, a few animal aromas leading us to game and musk. Rich notes of dark chocolate and dried fruit (raisin, fig) are also revealed. As a whole, it boasts remarkable finesse.
Karuizawa 30 Year Old 1977 Noh Whisky
62.8%, 70 cl, 2008, Sherry Butt #7026, 528 bottles for La Maison du Whisky (France)
Karuizawa bottlings from the 1970s are often quite austere, and this is no exception. It opens with notes of molasses, liquorice and tar. Wood fire and cigar are also very present, although softened by a hint of Corinthian raisin. On the palate, it wavers between coffee and smoked tea, still with pronounced nutty notes (walnut, chestnut). Mint adds freshness to the ensemble. This 1977 is a difficult whisky for the taster to tame, a little like the famous 1967 cask #6426. In addition to its power, it also has a certain dark and ancient character, which is very much part of its charm.
Sources
BRINDEAU Véronique (s.d.), “Le Théâtre Nô”, Philharmonie de Paris. https://pad.philharmoniedeparis.fr/le-theatre-no.aspx#
https://nonjatta.blogspot.com/
TSCHUDIN Jean-Jacques, Histoire du théâtre classique japonais, Paris, Anacharsis, 2011, 506 p.
VAN EYCKEN Stefan, Whisky Rising. The Definitive Guide to the Finest Whiskies and Distillers of Japan, Kennebunkport, Cider Mill Press, 2017, 400 p.
www65.atwiki.jp/jwhisky/, All Japanese Whisky Products List, Comic Market 95, 2018, 352 p.
