We continue our Japanese expedition


October 17, 2024

We continue our Japanese expedition

Chichibus, Mars, Shizuokas... In short, some good things, in theory, unless we come across some embarrassingly 'creative' casks. In a few years' time, I believe this period will likely be remembered as the one where distillers and bottlers placed their whiskies in the most improbable casks possible, in a bid to attract pretty jaded customers.

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘Vol.1’ (58%, OB, for The Ultimate Spirits by Rudder, refill bourbon barrel, cask #10772, 230 bottles, 2022)

Not entirely sure what’s in this no-age-statement blend, but we trust the names on the label. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s very medicinal, with hints of Laphroaig, though it could just as easily be peated Chichibu. We’re getting bandages, wet plaster, tar, seaweed, Mercurochrome, and fresh concrete… Hardly any grain comes through. Then some ripe apples, cider, and a lovely dollop of fresh butterscotch sauce. With water: raw wool, Islay’s brown waters, a low-tide beach, clams, and cockles… Mouth (neat): big peat and candied lemon. And plenty of power—it’s got some fight in it! With water: the style holds. Seaweed, samphire, ashes, camphor, iodine, wool, and clay… Finish: long, with similar notes and a touch of limoncello. Comments: it could well be dominated by peated Chichibu, but who’s to say for certain?
SGP: 467 - 88 points.

Chichibu 7 yo 2016/2024 ‘Heavily Peated’ (63.7%, LMDW Foundations, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #6179, 161 bottles)

Distilled from ‘Concerto’ barley. Its sibling, cask #7076 from an ex-peaty barrel, was just marvellous (WF 91). Colour: pale gold. Nose: they must have invented the words ‘smoky’ and ‘crystalline’ for this single cask. Essentially, it feels like an extract of the previous Ichiro’s #10772. Ultra-precise notes of green apple, seaweed, peat, lemon, and wet chalk, evolving into soot, melted candle wax, yellow curry, and satay sauce. Quite mad, really. With water: absolutely stunning! Rubber tree, new tyres, fir ash, tobacco ashes, spearmint… It’s like a 50/50 blend of Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Mouth (neat): monumental power. Seawater, lemon, and three tonnes of ash. Let’s make that five. With water: a few olives and candied lemon join the fray, while the ash becomes even more massive. Finish: very long, sharp, ultra-peaty, with a lingering aftertaste of roasted green tea, gentian liqueur, and verbena. Comments: a whisky of massive impact. Of course, if you don’t like peat, I humbly suggest you move along.
SGP:468 - 92 points.

We’ve also got two Chichibu ex-red Bordeaux. We’ll save those for another time, yeah? Maybe we’ll do a ‘Japanese whiskies in unusual casks’ session.

Chichibu 2015/2024 ‘Angel’s Favourite’ (63.5%, OB, Spirits of Salud, second fill bourbon barrel, cask #4659, 2024)

Colour: gold. Nose: It’s peated, but softer and rounder, I might even say angelic. Tropical fruits and some yellow flowers bring it closer to an older Laphroaig, if you catch my drift. Mandarins, blood oranges... A few notes of violet and cranberry, but far from the 1980s Bowmore style. There’s also a touch of mint tea. With water: the pure peat returns, alongside plaster, raw wool, and ashes, with a distinct ‘working kiln’ vibe. Mouth (neat): powerful, sharp, green. Mint, lime, a bit of fir wood, and a saline edge (potash)... it really plays with your lips. With water: superb, medicinal, heavy on peppermint with lots of lemon and grapefruit zest. Water suits it perfectly. Oh, and plenty of freshly caught oysters. Finish: long, pure, with the emergence of putty and glue. A bit of Timut pepper and more citrus in the aftertaste. Comments: a top-tier Chichibu that thrives with water, offering a rather remarkable retro-olfaction.
SGP:566 - 90 points.

Shizuoka ‘United S - Winter Edition 2023’ (50.5%, OB, Japan, first-fill bourbon)

From what I gather, this is a blend of K and W, with the second pass done in the Scottish ‘S’ still. We tried the United S Summer 2023 edition back in August and absolutely adored it (WF 91). Colour: pale gold. Nose: I’m sorry, but we’ll have to use the word ‘pure’ again, even though this is quite rich, even opulent. Lots of chalk, sunflower oil, plum and lemon liqueur, then mashed banana and fresh bread. A little touch of fougasse. With water: magical. Orange blossom cake dough, risen but not yet baked. Mouth (neat): goodness me, this is delightful. Italian lemon biscuits, beeswax, blood oranges. With water: perfect. A hint of pepper and nutmeg. Be careful though, not too much water or it might break down a bit. Finish: medium length. Lemon cake, and that’s it. We love it. Wait, and a bit of peach in the aftertaste. Comments: I’ve no idea if Shizuoka is aiming for very different batches or if they’re striving for consistency within this ‘United’ line. This one feels quite consistent.
SGP:561 – 91 points.

We're staying in the world of bourbon wood...

Mars Komagatake 5 yo 2019/2024 ‘Yakushima aging’ (59.8%, OB, LMDW Foundations, white oak, sherry hogshead, cask #2281, 244 bottles)

La Maison has been offering quite a few rather new-age Japanese whiskies this year in their new range, launched at Whisky Live Paris under the name ‘Foundations’. But why on earth would we complain!? Colour: gold. Nose: an abundance of fruit, both very ripe and remarkably fresh at the same time, if you see what I mean. Sultanas, some strikingly red gooseberries, a hint of woodruff, and glorious old-fashioned apples, perfectly ripe as well. There’s also a lovely touch of earthy and rooty spices, quite splendid indeed. With water: the sherry influence is delightfully subtle, though you do get fresh walnuts and hazelnuts, alongside hints of tobacco, chocolate, and a touch of leather. These Japanese chaps really know how to create marvellous things in just five years, without resorting to strange cask types. Though, of course, Yakushima's climate speeds things along. Mouth (neat): heaps of apple, demerara sugar, a smidge of salted caramel, and then some aged pu-ehr tea. Quite a lot of salt tingling on the lips—one wonders where that’s coming from (no, I’m not dreaming). Could it be from ageing on a southern island? With water: ripe apples again and a touch of brown sugar. Finish: long, slightly greener, more robust, and with the faintest touch of roughness. Comments: absolutely excellent. That salt is really rather fun.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

A small peaty one to finish off…

Mars Tsunuki 5 yo 2018/2024 ‘Tsunuki Aging’ (58.5%, OB, LMDW Foundations, refill American white oak, cask #T803, 275 bottles)

The barley for this young whisky was peated to 20ppm (on par with Talisker, just as a reminder). Colour: amber. Nose: a rather dark hue for a refill cask, and there's a distinct rubbery note—new wetsuit, fresh rubber boots, that sort of thing. Then come tobacco, leather, bay leaves, dried meat, and rye bread… It’s an unusual profile and, I must say, quite intriguing. With water: it becomes more floral, leaning towards peonies and pansies, with a basaltic touch, before more woodiness steps in. Very black tea. Mouth (neat): I love it, though it’s quite fierce. It almost feels like one of those newer American single malts. Allspice, pumpernickel, bitter oranges, peppered and salted dark chocolate, rancio, peppery old PX, capsicum… With water: triple sec with ginger, propolis, bitter chocolate, and green tea. Be careful, though—don’t add too much water here either. Finish: long but dry, with more black tea, bitter chocolate, juniper, cloves, and a touch of mint essence. A few prunes linger in the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely little beast. All that chocolate is quite marvellous.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

(Merci Bert and KC)

Check the index of all Japanese whiskies we've tasted so far