Chichibu On The Way is the work in progress of Ichiro Akuto. He founded his distillery in 2008 at the foot of a mountain in the region of Saitama, and he is on the way to release his first 5 years old whisky.
The current Chichibu On The Way is a vatting of three casks:
- one Mizunara oak hogshead filled in 2008, in fact this was the second oldest cask in the distillery
- one American oak ex-bourbon barrel filled in 2009 (used for ‘The Floor Malted’ batch 2009
- another American oak ex-bourbon barrel filled in 2010 (used for ‘The Floor Malted’ batch 2010
Although the packaging says five years old, this refers to the oldest whisky in the vatting – Japanese rules are different from Scottish. Despite its high alcohol volume, it is not entirely cask strength.
Chichibu ‘On The Way’ (58,5%, OB 2013, 9900 btl.)
Chichibu ‘On The Way’ (58,5%, OB 2013, 9900 btl.)Nose: a brightly oaked profile, showing grassy notes, fresh oak shavings and hay. Sweet malt, youngish pear and vanilla. Quite a lot of herbal notes too: fennel seeds, menthol and pepper. New leather.
Mouth: lots of sweet pears and apple pie, sweet breakfast cereals and a thick, syrupy side. Lychee juice. Popcorn. Apricot jam. A wide array of spices again, giving it an oriental touch as well as a potpourri-like edge. Some green, oaky notes on top.
Finish: long, drier, with lots of wood spices and a hint of incense.
A really interesting Chichibu, showing the powerful aromas of Mizunara oak. All those spices make it quite oriental. I hope the real 5 year-old finds a better balance, but this is certainly promising. Around € 135. Thanks, Angelo.
Score: 83/100