A 2012 Chichibu matured in a white wine cask from Bordeaux and bottled at 60.4% in 2019. Cask #2279 was split between two London venues, and this share of 100 bottles was labelled for Oswald's, the private members' club in Mayfair.
About This Whisky
The spirit was distilled in 2012 and filled into a cask that had held white wine at a château in Pessac-Léognan, then bottled at cask strength in 2019 after six to seven years. Speciality Drinks in London selected the cask and divided it: one run of bottles went to Milroy's of Soho, and this run of 100 was labelled for Oswald's. White Bordeaux wood tends to add citrus, wax and a fresh, slightly tart edge to the malt.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Lemon zest, white peach and grapefruit pith, with honey, almond and a waxy, Sémillon-like note.
- Palate: Oily and powerful: honeyed malt, biscuit, poached pear and a streak of liquorice, with bright acidity cutting the strength.
- Finish: Long and sweet, drying to almond, vanilla and a touch of oak tannin.
Serving & Food
Serve at cool room temperature in a Glencairn or a small white-wine glass. A splash of still water softens the 60.4% and lets the grapefruit and wax show. Good alongside scallop sashimi with yuzu, a creamy goat's cheese or a sharp lemon tart.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers curious about how white Bordeaux wood changes young Japanese malt, and followers of London's private-club bottlings.
Product Details
Distillery: Chichibu
Vintage: 2012
Bottled: 2019
Cask: #2279
Cask Type: White Bordeaux wine cask (Pessac-Léognan)
Bottled For: Oswald's, Mayfair, London
Bottles: 100 (split cask)
Bottle size / Format: 700mL
Region/Country: Saitama, Japan
ABV / Strength: 60.4% ABV
About the Distillery
Chichibu sits among the hills of western Saitama, roughly 100 kilometres north-west of Tokyo, and the weather there does a lot of the work. Summers are hot and humid, winters are sharp, and casks resting in the dunnage warehouses swing through that range every year. Spirit and wood interact quickly as a result, and much Chichibu is bottled at an age a Scotch distiller would call young while tasting rounder than that suggests. Ichiro Akuto built the distillery in 2007 and began distilling the following February. Wine casks from France have been part of the wood mix since the early years, next to bourbon barrels, sherry and mizunara.