A seven-year-old Chichibu single malt distilled in 2013 from Tipple barley and matured in refill hogshead #2533. It was bottled in 2020 for Yokohama Grand, with 345 bottles at a natural 62%.
About This Whisky
Tipple is a two-row spring barley grown for malting, and Chichibu has used several named varieties to compare how barley affects the spirit. This 2013 distillate spent around seven years in cask #2533, a refill hogshead, before bottling in 2020. A refill hogshead is a gentle, medium-sized cask that gives structure and light vanilla while letting the malt and fruit lead. The cask was bottled for Yokohama Grand at natural cask strength.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Orchard fruit, malted barley and honey, with lemon zest, pepper and clean oak.
- Palate: Energetic and tight, with citrus, sweet grain, ginger and a firm cask-strength core.
- Finish: Long, with pepper, dry oak and persistent malt sweetness.
Serving & Food
Tight at first, so pour it ahead of time and taste it again after ten minutes or with a few drops of water. Tonkatsu, grilled prawns or a wedge of Comté bring out the malt.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers interested in how a named barley variety comes through in a spirit-forward Chichibu.
Product Details
Producer: Chichibu / Ichiro's Malt
Country: Japan
Region: Saitama
Vintage: 2013
Bottled: 2020
Age: 7 years old
Barley: Tipple
Cask: Refill hogshead
Cask Number: #2533
Selection reference: Yokohama Grand
Bottles: 345
ABV: 62.0%
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Barley is one of the things Chichibu likes to experiment with. Most of its malt comes from Britain and Europe, with a smaller share grown by farmers near the distillery, and named varieties are sometimes kept separate so their effect on the spirit can be compared. Ichiro Akuto founded the distillery in 2008 in Saitama, using two small Forsyths pot stills and mizunara washbacks. Refill hogsheads are among the gentler casks in the warehouse, and single casks are bottled for bars, hotels and shops in Japan.