Chichibu : 7 Year Old Single Cask #10902 Refill Peated Bourbon Barrel 2018

Characteristics and tasting tips for the 7 Years Old Single Cask #10902 Refill Peated Bourbon Barrel 2018 from Chichibu

Tasting notes

Appearance

The colour is a vivid gold.

Nose

The nose, fine and refined, opens on eucalyptus, cypress and smouldering cigar. An abundant fruitiness then unfolds, with lime, green apple and almond. With aeration, it evolves towards medicinal (balm), ashy, camphorous and mineral (slate) tones.

Palate

The attack is lively and noble, carried by a diaphanous smoke. Agave flavours evoke a great mezcal. Malty notes (barley porridge) and unctuous liquorice follow. With time, fresh fruits (apple, greengage) release a fresh, juicy character. The finish, taut and elegant, is minty and green (cut hay, alfalfa), with an empyreumatic touch (embers, rubber). Eucalyptus and lime return with intensity. On the retronasal, one perceives green peppercorn, charcoal, orgeat syrup and green olive.

Pairings and tasting occasions

Bottled at its natural strength of 65.5%, this single cask is best enjoyed slowly, without artifice, to follow its aromatic evolution, from vivid fruit to smoky, medicinal and mineral notes. Its freshness and vivacity make it a whisky for contemplation, to be savoured during an attentive tasting among enthusiasts.

Other characteristics

This whisky is medium peated. It is made from Odyssey barley and aged for seven years in a bourbon cask that previously held a peated whisky. It is bottled at 65.5% ABV and comes in a 0.7 L bottle, presented in a case.

A Japanese whisky combining great vivacity and lasting freshness

Chichibu, the emblematic craft distillery of Japanese whisky

Founded in 2008 by Ichiro Akuto in Saitama, on the island of Honshu, the Chichibu distillery has marked the renewal of Japanese whisky. It continues the history of a family that has been producing alcohol since 1625. Its licence was granted in February 2008, the first issued in Japan since 1971. Production takes place entirely on site. Fermentation is carried out in mizunara vats, and distillation in small stills. A second distillery, Chichibu II, inaugurated in 2019, uses direct-fired stills, a traditional method that brings richness, structure and depth. The current owner is Venture Whisky Ltd., a company founded in 2004 by Ichiro Akuto, who remains its central figure as master distiller and master blender.

A 7-year-old single cask, a singular expression of Japanese whisky

The 7 Years Old Single Cask #10902 Refill Peated Bourbon Barrel 2018 is a whisky from a single cask, vintage 2018 and aged for seven years. It matured in a second-fill bourbon barrel that previously held a peated whisky. The wood, already imbued with smoke, adds a layer of complexity to the Chichibu distillate.

The distillate is made from Odyssey barley and is medium peated. This cuvée offers an aromatic palette evoking a great craft mezcal. It combines smoky, empyreumatic, medicinal and mineral sequences with malty and fruity tones, which bring freshness and vitality.

Bottled at its natural strength of 65.5%, this single cask is limited to 188 bottles. It is presented in a case.