The London Edition is Chichibu's yearly release for The Whisky Show in London, run by The Whisky Exchange. The 2019 bottling was the second in the series, a small batch of 1,405 numbered bottles at 48.5%, with a London skyline label designed as a companion to the first edition.
About This Whisky
Unlike some Chichibu specials, the 2019 London Edition is a small vatting rather than a single cask. It premiered at The Whisky Show in autumn 2019, with remaining bottles offered afterwards through The Whisky Exchange by ballot. At 48.5% it is softer in strength than the cask-strength 2020 edition that followed, and the label artwork is by the retailer's creative director.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Melon and mango at first, then pastry cream, green apple, lemon and a touch of coconut.
- Palate: Oily and honeyed, with red apple, orange and lemon giving way to black pepper, ginger and cinnamon.
- Finish: Medium-long and slightly drying, with vanilla, lemon and a gentle trace of oak.
Serving & Food
Lower strength makes this easy to take neat: a nosing glass, room temperature, no water needed. It flatters lighter food, such as a scallop crudo with citrus, a lemon posset or a slice of Japanese cheesecake.
How to Enjoy
Collectors building the London Edition run, and anyone wanting an approachable, fruit-led Chichibu.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Producer: Ichiro's Malt
Edition: London Edition 2019
Released for: The Whisky Show 2019 / The Whisky Exchange
Outturn: 1,405 bottles
Category: Japanese Single Malt Whisky
Volume: 700mL
ABV: 48.5%
Origin: Japan
Region: Saitama
About the Distillery
Chichibu sits in a basin ringed by mountains in Saitama Prefecture and has been distilling since 2008 for Ichiro Akuto's company Venture Whisky. Alongside its core releases it bottles a steady stream of small editions for particular markets and retailers, and the London and Paris Editions have a keen following.
Production is modest by any standard: a single pair of copper pot stills, wooden washbacks cut from mizunara oak and a cooperage that repairs and builds casks on site. Barley comes mostly from Britain and Europe, with a small share grown in Japan. City editions such as this one and the Paris Edition for La Maison du Whisky are vatted from a handful of selected casks.