An early Chichibu single cask, distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2020 from bourbon barrel #423 for the tenth edition of La Maison du Whisky's Artist Collection. At over ten years old, and with just 153 bottles at 56.5%, it comes from the distillery's second year of production.
About This Whisky
Cask #423 was filled in 2009, only a year after Chichibu started distilling, and bottled in 2020 after more than a decade in a bourbon barrel. La Maison du Whisky's Artist Collection pairs selected casks with labels by commissioned artists; this one carries artwork by Eric Robin.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Ripe banana, citrus peel and honeyed malt, with fresh oak, vanilla and a little polish.
- Palate: Concentrated and lively, with orchard fruit, vanilla and baking spice over rich malt.
- Finish: Warming and lasting, with spice, dried fruit and clean oak.
Serving & Food
With more than ten years in wood this is softer than most Chichibu at similar strength; try it neat first and only add water if the spice dominates. Roast chicken, aged Gouda or a banana tarte tatin all suit it.
How to Enjoy
Chichibu followers wanting to try older stock from the distillery's first years.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Country: Japan
Region: Saitama
Bottler/series: La Maison du Whisky, Artist Collection #10
Vintage: 2009
Bottled: 2020
Age: Over 10 years
Cask: Bourbon barrel #423
Label artist: Eric Robin
Bottles: 153
ABV: 56.5%
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Casks from Chichibu's first years are rare because stock was small and much of it was bottled young. The distillery started production in 2008, built by Ichiro Akuto after he had spent several years rescuing and bottling the last casks of Hanyu, his grandfather's closed distillery. The First, a three-year-old, appeared in 2011. A 2009 cask left in wood for more than ten years shows what the spirit becomes with time.