Chichibu Chibidaru 2010 (53.5%, OB, 2014)

• Category: Japanese single malt whisky
• Origin: Chichibu Distillery
• Bottling: Official: Ichiro’s Malt
• ABV: 53.5%
• Cost: £110 from The Whisky Exchange

What they say:

The 2014 release of Chichibu’s quarter-cask-matured Japanese whisky. Chibidaru – Japanese for ‘cute casks’ – are small casks that give lots of flavour quickly. There is an abundance of fruit in this whisky, however – delicious!

What I say:

From Ichiro Akuto’s Chichibu distillery, founded in 2004 and in production in 2008, this was the first distillery to be built in Japan since Fuji-Gotemba in 1973. This expression is a 4 year old single malt matured in Quarter Casks ‘Chibidaru’ for a quicker maturation; quarter casks being smaller than a standard barrel have a greater surface area to volume ratio allowing more spirit/wood interaction. Thanks to Jon at Scotch and SciFi for sharing this one.

Colour:

Dark amber gold (12/20) medium legs and large/loose tears

Nose:

Dusty and chalky, almost flint-like, floral and fruity, tar or treacle, molasses, maple syrup, (and vinegar?), fermented apple and pear, green oak wood like freshly planed timbers, strong cereal barley.

Taste:

Fruity apple and raisin, malty, toffee, treacle, brown sugar, maple syrup, brown cereal, malt extract, brown bread, barley malt, freshly sawn oak wood, sawdust, slightly ascerbic.

Finish:

Medium-long, mid-sweet but ‘burnt’ tasting

Overall:

A little conflicting, this one had a young spice/bite to it indicative of its age but an ‘old’ treacle-ised dark wood from the quarter cask maturation which seemed a little forced onto the young spirit.

Score: 77/100

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