Chichibu Single Malt - 9 yo - 2nd Fill Bourbon Cask No #3094 - New Vibrations

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 61.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Second-fill bourbon barrel No. 3094 defines this Chichibu single-cask bottling. The distillery double-distilled the whisky from Propino barley in 2014. After nine years of maturation, it was bottled in 2023 at 61.9% cask strength, yielding 177 bottles. The whisky is not chill-filtered and contains no colouring. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in gift packaging.

This bottling belongs to La Maison du Whisky’s New Vibrations series. Katsumi Komagata created its four nature-inspired designs: Birds, Forest, Sky and Wave. This bourbon-cask Chichibu brings peach and grapefruit together with vanilla and coconut, while mineral, earthy and peppery notes provide a contrast. Water reveals further fruit notes; mint and pine honey shape the finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, canned peach and grapefruit meet verbena, vanilla cream and coconut. A light woody note recalls chai with cinnamon; water brings out banana and earthy hints.
• Palate: The palate opens with honey and mineral, lightly salty notes. Vanilla cream and cereal malt follow, accompanied by a subtle earthy note that also recalls lactic acid. Water adds barley sugar and apricot jam.
• Finish: The long finish brings anise and pepper alongside honey and vanilla. Baked apple gradually gives way to cocoa and a delicate umami accent reminiscent of soy sauce. Mint, pine honey and a little banana also appear in the fruity aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Ichiro Akuto founded Venture Whisky Co., Ltd. in 2004 and preserved around 400 casks from his family’s stocks. He had the Chichibu Distillery built in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture in 2007; it received its production licence in 2008. Venture Whisky operates the distillery that made this single malt and released it as an original bottling. La Maison du Whisky was involved in the New Vibrations single-cask edition.

Facts: