Chichibu 2012 Single ex-Hanyu Cask #2074 For Selfridges 700mL

Chichibu 2012 Single ex-Hanyu Cask #2074 for Selfridges is a rare single-cask Japanese whisky that physically links Chichibu's modern distilling programme to the closed Hanyu distillery through a cask of Hanyu spirit laid down at Chichibu. The "ex-Hanyu cask" notation indicates the spirit was matured entirely in a Hanyu-origin cask, with bottling carried out at Chichibu as a Selfridges store exclusive — making it one of the most documented Chichibu single-cask releases.

From the Producer

Ichiro Akuto's family founded and ran the Hanyu distillery in Saitama until its closure in 2000; the surviving stock — a mix of mature and maturing spirit — became the foundation for the Ichiro's Malt Card Series of single-cask releases. When Chichibu started in 2008, the new distillery inherited not only the Hanyu tradition but also access to a small reserve of Hanyu-fill casks still in the family's bond, which were used for both finishing and full maturation of younger Chichibu distillate. Chichibu's production is famously small-scale: a single wash and a single spirit still (plus an experimental second set), floor maltings, on-site mashing and fermentation, and very long fermentations. Bottling is generally cask-strength, uncoloured and unfiltered. Single-cask Chichibu releases — like this Selfridges store-exclusive, single-cask bottling of Chichibu 2012 distillate drawn from a Hanyu-origin cask — are how the distillery reaches specialist collectors.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Caramel, honey, vanilla, dried fruit, peat smoke and oak spice.
• Palate: Powerful and textured, with sweet malt, fruit, spice, smoky depth and cask-strength grip.
• Finish: Long and intense, with oak, spice and lingering malt sweetness.

Best For

Collectors of Chichibu single casks, Japanese whisky connoisseurs and premium gifting.