The third Paris Edition from Chichibu, bottled in 2020 for La Maison du Whisky, is a small-batch vatting of eight casks rather than a single cask. It came out at 52.8% ABV in an edition of 1,833 bottles, with a label showing the Luxor Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde.
About This Whisky
The recipe is set out in unusual detail. Five casks date from 2013: a peated first-fill bourbon barrel, three virgin oak casks and a port pipe. Three more come from 2014: two chibidaru quarter casks and a red wine cask. New oak brings spice and vanilla, the port and red wine casks add berry fruit, and the peated barrel gives a light smoky frame. The finished vatting was bottled at 52.8%.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Banana bread, red berries and toasted oak, with cocoa and a wisp of smoke.
- Palate: Layered and lively, with cherry, brown sugar, nutmeg and creamy malt, then a peppery kick from the new wood.
- Finish: Long, with dried berries, gentle peat and dry spice.
Serving & Food
Room temperature suits it. Use a small copita and try it neat first, then with a teaspoon of cool water. It sits well beside roast duck with plum sauce, a cherry frangipane tart or a wedge of aged Mimolette.
How to Enjoy
Anyone following the Paris Edition year by year, or curious how different casks shape Chichibu spirit.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Producer: Ichiro's Malt / Chichibu Distillery
Edition: Paris Edition 2020 (third release)
Bottled for: La Maison du Whisky
Casks: 8 casks: 2013 peated first-fill bourbon, virgin oak x3, port pipe; 2014 chibidaru x2, red wine
Outturn: 1,833 bottles
Category: Japanese Single Malt Whisky
Country: Japan
Region: Saitama
ABV: 52.8%
Proof: 105.6
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Ichiro Akuto still assembles the distillery's multi-cask releases himself, drawing on a stock that ranges from ex-bourbon barrels to the small quarter casks known at Chichibu as chibidaru. Most of the barley comes from Britain and continental Europe, with a small share grown in Japan and some malted by hand on the distillery floor. Peated malt is brought in from Scotland, so the team makes both unpeated and smoky spirit and can use each as a component. Production has run since 2008 on two small copper pot stills, with a second distillery added in 2019.