A six-year-old Chichibu single malt distilled in 2012 and matured in second-fill bourbon barrel #1766, bottled in 2019 for Mitsukoshi Isetan. It is a clean, cask-strength example of the distillery's bourbon-barrel style.
About This Whisky
Cask #1766 was filled with 2012 Chichibu new make and bottled after six years. A second-fill bourbon barrel still gives vanilla and a little coconut, but less forcefully than fresh wood, so the fruit and malt of the spirit stay in front. The barrel was selected for Mitsukoshi Isetan, which has bottled a run of Chichibu single casks for its Tokyo stores. It went into bottle at natural cask strength.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Vanilla, fresh oak and honey, with pear, apple and a little lemon.
- Palate: Compact and lively, with honey, citrus, baking spice and creamy bourbon-cask sweetness.
- Finish: Clean and warming, with gentle oak and lasting malt.
Serving & Food
A fresh style that works neat or, on a warm evening, with one large ice cube. Try salt-grilled chicken, steamed fish with ginger and spring onion, or plain butter shortbread.
How to Enjoy
A friendly first Chichibu single cask for anyone who likes bright, fruity malt.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Country: Japan
Region: Saitama
Vintage: 2012
Bottled: 2019
Age: 6 years old
Cask type: Bourbon Barrel, 2nd fill
Cask Number: #1766
Retailer edition: Mitsukoshi Isetan
Strength: Cask strength
Volume: 700ml
About the Distillery
Mitsukoshi Isetan has bottled a run of Chichibu single casks, and this is one of the bourbon barrel selections. The distillery itself was set up in 2008 by Ichiro Akuto, whose family had run the Hanyu distillery until 2000. Everything is done on a small scale: mashing in a two-tonne tun, fermenting in mizunara washbacks and distilling in two Forsyths pot stills. Casks are filled at around 63.5% and bottled at natural strength, so single casks like this one are big, lively whiskies.