Chichibu cask #2688 is a single-cask Japanese single malt distilled in 2013 and matured in a first-fill American white oak cask. It was bottled at cask strength, 58% ABV, and shows the clean, fruity side of the distillery.
About This Whisky
American white oak is the wood behind most bourbon barrels, and it tends to give vanilla, coconut and soft spice. Cask #2688 is listed as a first-fill American white oak cask, so those flavours come through generously without swamping the fruit of the spirit. It was filled with Chichibu new make in 2013 and bottled without reduction at 58% ABV.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Malted biscuit, cherry blossom and vanilla, with fresh berries behind.
- Palate: Bright and sweet, with red cherry, barley sugar, soft herbs and a little coconut from the oak.
- Finish: Long and clean, with gentle spice, a faint smoky note and lingering malt.
Serving & Food
Serve lightly cool, around 16 to 18°C, in a tulip glass. It is friendly neat despite the strength, though a dash of water lifts the fruit. Try it with chicken yakitori glazed with tare, a berry pavlova or butter shortbread.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers who prefer clean, fruit-led Chichibu, and collectors adding a numbered cask from the 2013 vintage.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Vintage: 2013
Cask type: First-fill American white oak
Cask Number: #2688
ABV: 58.0% ABV
Category: Japanese Single Malt Whisky
Volume: 700mL
Origin: Japan
Region: Saitama
About the Distillery
Chichibu is now well into its second decade. The original distillery, opened by Ichiro Akuto in 2008, was joined in 2019 by Chichibu 2, a larger site about 600 metres away, and the first single malt from the new stills appeared in 2025. Both follow the same hands-on approach, with an on-site cooperage and a mix of local and imported barley. The second site adds the capacity that the original, with its pair of 2,000-litre stills, never had, while casks laid down at the first distillery, like this one from 2013, are still bottled one at a time.