A meeting of two small, cult producers: Chichibu single malt matured in a cask that previously held Kusuda Pinot Noir from Martinborough, New Zealand. The whisky was distilled in 2011 and bottled at cask strength in 2017.
About This Whisky
The spirit was filled in 2011 and spent roughly five and a half years in a single ex-Kusuda Pinot Noir cask before bottling in May 2017. Pinot Noir wood tends to add red fruit and a fine tannin, so it drinks differently from the more common sherry or bourbon-cask Chichibu. Bottled at full strength, without being reduced.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Raspberry, cherry and plum skin, with vanilla, malt and a savoury, almost truffle-like depth.
- Palate: Dense and fruity, with red wine richness, muscovado sugar, poached pear and cocoa over a firm, fine tannin.
- Finish: Long and dry-fruited, with baking spice and a gentle grip of oak.
Serving & Food
Pour into a wine-style tulip or a Burgundy taster at 18°C and give it time before a drop or two of water. Pinot-friendly dishes work here: roast duck with cherries, mushroom risotto or a mild washed-rind cheese.
How to Enjoy
Pinot Noir lovers who also enjoy whisky, and Chichibu fans after something off the main range.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Expression: Kusuda Martinborough
Distilled: 2011
Bottled: 2017
Cask: Ex-Kusuda Pinot Noir (Martinborough, New Zealand)
Category: Japanese Single Malt Whisky
Bottle size: 700mL
Origin: Japan
Region: Saitama
About the Distillery
Chichibu is the Saitama distillery that Ichiro Akuto opened in 2008 through his company Venture Whisky. Alongside bourbon barrels, sherry butts and Japanese mizunara, it has filled spirit into beer and wine casks from many sources, and this bottling came out of one of those partnerships.
The wine side is Hiroyuki Kusuda, who studied law in Tokyo and worked for Fujitsu and the Japanese consulate in Sydney before training in winemaking at Geisenheim in Germany. He settled in Martinborough in 2001 and made his first Kusuda wines in 2002. His output of Pinot Noir, Syrah and Riesling is small, and a large share of it goes to Japan.