The Chita Single Grain Whisky

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The Chita brings together different styles of grain whisky and a varied approach to cask maturation. Master Blender Shinji Fukuyo selected Spanish oak casks and wine casks alongside American white oak casks for maturation. This combination adds depth of flavour to the single grain without overshadowing its gentle, smooth character.

Introduced in September 2015, this was Suntory's first single grain whisky. It gave the grain whiskies from Chita, which had previously contributed chiefly to the house's blends, an identity of their own. The Chita is not smoky and is bottled at 43% alcohol. The 0.7-litre bottle comes with gift packaging, and its label was designed by a Japanese calligraphy artist. The whisky can be enjoyed neat or over ice.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, crème brûlée and acacia honey meet cardamom and the scent of rose petals.
• Palate: The whisky is gentle and smooth on the palate. Pronounced honey sweetness is accompanied by a hint of mint.
• Finish: The finish is clean and clear. Spicy oak lingers, accompanied by subtle bittersweet notes.

Distillery/Bottler:

Keizo Saji founded the Chita distillery in 1972 on the peninsula of the same name in Japan's Aichi Prefecture. It specialises in grain whisky and uses mainly corn. Continuous distillation through multiple columns produces three different styles: clean, medium and heavy. This diversity gives the master blenders a range of base characters for their compositions.

Chita's approach also includes maturing grain whiskies in Omi and Hakushu, where different climatic conditions influence their development. Within Suntory, Chita's spirits provide an important foundation for the blends: their smoothness helps bring the individual whisky components together. The range of spirits and the expanded cask selection ultimately also made a standalone single grain possible.

Facts: