Chichibu Hanyu Ichiro's Malt Wine Wood Reserve Pure Malt Whisky

Chichibu Hanyu Ichiro's Malt Wine Wood Reserve, Pure Malt Whisky, Japan, 70cl

AROMA: Fruity, chocolate. TASTE: Bitter chocolate, orange peel, fruity and bitter. The addition of water gradually makes it milder and more fruity. FINISH: Slightly bitter and fruity aftertaste.

A vatting of various Chichibu malts which have finished their maturation in used French red wine oak barrels. Original bottling at 46% ABV

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"NOSE: Starts with strong red wine notes, oak wood. Later more red fruits & berries then wine, dark chocolate. Later some orange flavours shows up. Very rich nose!

PALATE: Tingling sensation at first, then wood, spicy with peppery edge, nuts, chocolate, red fruits. Not exactly wine influenced. FINISH: Quite long. Malty, stays hot spicy with peppers, bittersweet with long fading gentle wood notes.

CONCLUSION: The wine impact is very strong on the nose but it’s more of sherry notes on the palate. Overall, it’s a very nice whisky of high quality, fitting as end of dinner dram"

WHISKY GPSPEL, 2013.

"NOSE: Immediate and highly pronounced wine aromas – soft black and red fruits – black cherries and raspberries. A touch of rose and violet and we’re firmly into the category of some youthful Pinot Noir. Fortunately, whilst wine-forward, the nose does offer up other nuances – gentle toffee and coffee, grassiness and a touch of menthol are joined by nuttiness from almonds (sugar coated) and some hefty spices – pepper, and anise in particular. The addition of water completely alters the balance of this whisky, reducing the definition from soft fruits, almost entirely to the cask influence – vanilla, coconut and bitter spicing. Interesting, but certainly much better balanced in its 46% ABV form.

TASTE: A slight oiliness on arrival – the wine influence is much reduced in the mouth. Juicy red berries (raspberries and cranberries) and blackberries (even some Ribena berry) start us on a sweet path, that is supported by chocolate, toffee and sweet cinnamon spicing. Development quickly changes things up a notch – pepper, chilli, grapefruit and citrus coming through in the mid to back palate. You don’t even want to think about adding water to this. Whilst the existing profile moves from sweet through spicy into bitterness, it does so in a measured way  - water disrupts this, adding all the emphasis to the bitterness and oak influence, which invariably brings with it a ton of tannins. Again, 46% is where this wants to be.

FINISH: Medium with pepper spicing, chocolate, brown sugar and a touch of cough syrup."

THE DRAMBLE, 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.