Chichibu cask #544 is a bourbon barrel distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2020 at ten years old for Bar Ikkei and the Sapporo Single Malt Club. It was released as a Malt Dream Cask at 60.9% ABV, one of 175 bottles.
About This Whisky
Like the other Malt Dream Casks, #544 was an early Chichibu cask owned privately, in this case by Bar Ikkei together with the Sapporo Single Malt Club. The spirit was distilled in 2009, the distillery's second year, and filled into an ex-bourbon barrel. It stayed there for ten years before bottling in 2020, giving 175 bottles at 60.9%.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Honeycomb, apricot and vanilla, followed by toasted coconut and a floral lift.
- Palate: Rich and rounded for its strength, with butterscotch, stone fruit, cinnamon and a firm oak grip.
- Finish: Gently drying and persistent, with clove, orange peel and malt.
Serving & Food
Best at around 18°C in a nosing glass with a small jug of water on the side. Let a little air get to it before the first sip. Pair with aged Gouda, dried apricots and roasted almonds, or finish a dinner with crème brûlée.
How to Enjoy
Anyone after a ten-year-old Chichibu single cask with clear bar provenance.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Series: Malt Dream Cask, Bar Ikkei & Sapporo Single Malt Club
Vintage: 2009
Bottled: 2020
Age: 10 years
Cask number: #544
Cask type: Bourbon barrel
ABV: 60.9%
Outturn: 175 bottles
Bottle size / Format: 700mL
Category: Japanese Single Malt Whisky
About the Distillery
The distillery sits on a hillside outside Chichibu city in western Saitama, about two hours from central Tokyo. Its founder, Ichiro Akuto, comes from a whisky family: his grandfather started Hanyu, and when that distillery shut Akuto took on its remaining stock and bottled it under his Ichiro's Malt label, most famously as the Card series. Those bottlings made his name before Chichibu produced a drop. Distilling began in 2008, and the town has since become a stop for whisky visitors. The Chichibu Whisky Matsuri, held every year since 2014 at Chichibu Shrine, now draws thousands of people from Japan and overseas.