Chichibu 2012 Mizunara Heads Cask # 1718 700mL

A single cask of 2012 Chichibu matured in a cask fitted with mizunara oak heads, bottled in 2017 for the Japanese department store group Mitsukoshi Isetan. Just 162 bottles were filled at a natural 59.6%.

About This Whisky

Cask #1718 was filled in 2012 and bottled five years later in 2017. The Mizunara Heads name refers to the cask construction: the flat end pieces are Japanese mizunara oak, a native wood valued for sandalwood and incense-like aromas but hard to work because it is porous and prone to leaking. Using it for the heads gives some of that character without relying on a full mizunara cask. It is bottled at cask strength with no colouring or chill filtration, and shows orchard fruit and cedar.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Peach, stewed apple and green grape, with cedar, sandalwood and a light maple sweetness.
• Palate: Creamy and fruity, with guava, yellow fruit and caramel, then warm spice and a fragrant woody note.
• Finish: Gently drying and long, with sandalwood, sweet spice and a little nutty oak.

Serving & Food

Let the glass sit for a while before the first sip, as the sandalwood side needs air. Water at almost 60% is a good idea, added a little at a time. It sits nicely next to grilled unagi, sushi brushed with sweet soy, or a pear and almond tart.

How to Enjoy

Anyone wanting to taste how mizunara oak changes young Chichibu, and collectors of the distillery's department store casks.

Product Details

About the Distillery

Mizunara runs through the Chichibu story. The distillery's eight washbacks are made from this Japanese oak, and Ichiro Akuto has also used it for casks and cask parts. He founded Chichibu in 2008, four years after setting up Venture Whisky to rescue the stock of Hanyu, his grandfather's closed distillery. Production is small: two 2,000-litre Forsyths pot stills, long fermentations and new make filled to cask at around 63.5%. Many casks are bottled one at a time for bars and shops in Japan and abroad.