Chichibu Hanyu Ichiro's Malt The Peated 2016 #3853-6350

Chichibu Hanyu Ichiro's Malt "The Peated" 2016 #3853-6350, Single Malt Whisky, Japan, 70cl

COLOUR: Honey/golden. NOSE: Really peaty, a little smoky, iodine, vanilla, citric, baked apple & dried apricot, cookie dough, honey, salted caramel. PALATE: Gorgeously viscous, peaty, some bonfire, baked pears, lime marmalade, Lapsang Souchong, vanilla, ginger & nutmeg spices, chilli peppers, heather honey, creme caramel and golden syrup. FINISH: Long, warm, more peat, citric, cloves and nutmeg spices.

The fourth release of peated whisky from Ichiro Akuto’s Chichibu. Distilled in 2012 and bottled at cask strength (54.5% ABV) in 2016. Bottle #3853 of 6350 produced. Peat level 55 ppm.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"COLOUR: Golden. NOSE: Earthy peat, apple, lychee, citrus, allspice, wood tannins. PALATE: Apple, spice, lychee, stone fruits, wood-spice, tea tannins, mustard seed, sea-salt, light peat. FINISH: Medium with salty peat and apple"

WORLD WHISKY, Toronto, 2018

"COLOUR: Clear gold. Thin slow streaks. NOSE: Smokey. Beef crisps. Barbecue sausage. Charcoal. Honey barbecue sauce. Water adds spare ribs with Thai spice sauce glaze. BODY: Honey. Grapes. Sweet and smooth. Honey smoked sauce. Water adds spare ribs and thai seven spice. FINISH: Honey soaked barbecue sauce. Glazed ribs. Water adds Thai seven spice and dry beef.

CONCLUSION: This is much sweeter than I imagined it would be – the peat does kick out heavily early on, creating the image of a real meaty, charcoal tasting whisky. So that is what you would expect, what follows is far from that though. It is smokey but in a real barbecue sauce fashion – glazed and spicy. It feels really thick on the tongue, the barbecue characteristics giving it a huge weight. It is oily, smoked and meaty backed in a sticky and sweeter fashion than you would usually expect from such a high peat level. A completely different experience for a peated whisky with much more gamy meat in the meaty elements it has, so the peat it has, despite the weight, is actually a backing element here. The sweetness is thick and meaty so it doesn’t get sickly, instead bonding everything together. Wonderful stuff."

ALCOHOL & APHORISMS, 2018

This is part of a private customer’s collection. These whiskies are in excellent condition. We are acting as an agent in the sale and the price is exclusive of V.A.T. which is not due.