Chichibu Chibidaru 2009 - 2013 Ichiro's Malt

A small "chibi" cask. Bottled at 53.5% vol.

• Nose: Very fruity, vanilla, juicy oak, banana, assorted tropical fruits,
• Mouth: Vanilla, passion fruit, creamy
• Finish: Medium long, a bit oak, cheesecake, tropical fruits again

Comments: love this!

88 points

Chichibu - 2009 - 5yo - Sushi & Soul #609

A single cask Chichibu joint bottled for sushi + soul in Munich and Bar Zeotrope in Tokyo. I'm tasting the sushi + soul version here - and tasted it together with the Chichibu On The Way. 61.6% vol. and aged in a first fill bourbon cask.

• Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, mild with light oak, water opens up the nose with rich butterscotch
• Mouth: oak, creamy vanilla, cookie dough, oily, full bodied and round
• Finish: Warm, long, oak, a hint of cloves, caramel candy

Comments: For a mere 5 year old this is deliciously rich, oily thick and full bodied. But it needs 10 to 15 minutes to breath to achieve that, so tad patience is needed. Best Chichibu I tasted so far.

88 points.

Chichibu - On The Way

A multivintage Chichibut consiting of 2008, 2009 and 2010 bourbon and japanese Mizunara oak casks. Bottled in 2013 and 9900 bottles of this Chichibu exist with an abv of 58.5% vol.

• Nose: Vanilla, sweet, cream caramel, oak, sandalwood, herbal spices, water adds more spices and pepper
• Mouth: Creamy, mild and plenty of spices
• Finish: Warm, very oily and creamy, a hint sharp

Comments: Excellent Chichibu with a very noticeable Mizunara profile. Maybe a tad young, the finish lacks a bit of body I'd say. Definitely needs some time in the glass to breath.

87 points

Chichibu 2012 - The Peated

Aged for three years, the 2012 bottled Chichibu The Peated gives a peat twist on the young and lovely Chichibu malts. Bottled at 50.5% and limited to 5000 bottles.

• Nose: Peat, without water slight alcoholic bite (here you notice the youngness), milder with water, apple and malt, oaky ham (like some of the fancy Spanish variants)
• Mouth: Very oily, peat and a bit earthy and brine, lemon with herbs, smoky, creamy vanilla
• Finish: Peat, pepper and chili, warm and some mint, vanilla

Comments: Not perfect but unusual and lovely. A bit reminiscent of the super peaty Octomores.

84 points

Chichibu 2009 - The Floor Malted

This three year old Chichibu is a follow-up release to the "The First" release of Chichibu. The kicker here is that Ichiro-san floor malted the barley himself or so I believe. Matured mostly in bourbon and quarter (chibi) casks.
Limited to 8800 bottles and bottled at 50.5% vol.

• Nose: Honey, apple, a tad less cedar wood compared to the "The First", quite juicy, water makes it a tad harsh
• Mouth: Grassy, grain, very sweet, water brings out some bitterness
• Finish: Warm, grassy, honey, slightly sharp, vanilla apple cake, spices, juicy tobacco

Comment: Again this is amazing for a three year old. Overall a quite sweet profile with depth and various flavors. Here and there some roughness from the young age seems to shimmer trough. 

83 points 

Hanyu 1988 Jack of Diamonds - #9103

Another Hanyu from the "cards" series. This time it's the Jack of Diamonds. Distilled in 1988 and bottled in 2008. 56% vol. alcohol. It's aged (or finished?) in a French oak Cognac cask.

• Nose: Raisins, oak, some light glue, some light smoke, earthy, heavy sweet ripe apple
• Mouth: Oak, light tannins, juicy tobacco, grapes, raisins, earthy
• Finish: Short-medium long, light tannins, oaky, raisins and pears, earthy, honey, fruity

Comments: Something about the congac finish throws this off balance. The componets on its own are quite good It lacks finesse and harmony

85 points

Hanyu 1995 Ichiro's Malt 15yo

A 15 year old Hanyu from the Ichiro's Malt line (while I think there is only one bottle with this style of label released in Europe, there are a few in Japan) This one was finished in a French oak cask and bottled at 46% vol. with 300 bottles.

• Nose: Malt, sour, earthy, ume extract, oak, Gouda cheese & wine
• Mouth: Malt, earthy, oily
• Finish: Tannin, pepper, warm and long, sweet nuttiness, oily

Comment: Very typical Hanyu earthiness, but I find the oak to be a tad rough here. Generally a good Hanyu with some interesting flavors to discover.

85 points

Ginkgo

The Ginkgo blended malt is composed of Japanese malts blended together by Ichiro Akuto. Bottled at 46% vol. and limited to 6000 bottles. I think this was bottled around 2007.

• Nose: Vanilla, mint, some citric/lemon, floral and some earthiness (Hanyu?)
• Mouth: Dry oak, cinnamon, malt, various woods
• Finish: Relatively dry, cinnamon again, lemon, all sorts of spices and some smoke 

Comment: This is pretty interesting and fairly complex. Although some roughness seems to shimmer trough here and there (like some older and some young whisky blended together). The overall profile is a bit unusual, definitely try this one out if you get the chance.

83 points

Hanyu - 2000 - The Final Vintage - Cask 6093

Today's tasting notes are for Ichiro's Malt - The Final Vintage of Hanyu. Distilled in 2000 (the year the distillery closed - hence the final vintage) and bottled in 2010. So it should be roughly ten years old.

Cask number 6093, 349 bottles and 59% vol. alcohol. There are one or two more "Final Vintage" bottles out there as well.

• Nose: Lots of oak, juicy oak, some smoke, a hint of menthol, earthy/raw mushrooms
• Mouth: fairly rich, oak, spices, dry, a bit mint, hazelnut, 
• Finish: Spices, very nutty with fresh hazelnut, dry oak, warming, at the very end a bit more sweetness comes trough as well as some smoke and  tobacco, water makes the mouth and finish generally sweeter

Comment: Quite powerful and impressive for a ten year old whisky. A load of oak, but not too much.

86 points

Chichibu - The First

The first official whisky (i.e. 3 years old) release from Ichiro Akutos new distillery Chichibu (秩父). Chichibu - The First 3years old, 2008-2011, bottled at cask strength with 61.8% vol.
Limited to 7400 bottles that consist of a vatting of 31 first fill Bourbon casks from the American Heaven Hill Distilleries.

• Nose:  Bit spirity at the beginning - vanishes after a while in the glass, malt sweetness, caramelized corn, berries, molasses, vanilla, apple sauce
• Mouth:  Floral-grassy, a bit peppery, malt-sweetness, a bit grains
• Finish:  Medium long, hints of green hazelnut, clean and precise - if that makes sense, tiny hints of passion-fruit juice, a bit grassy

Comments:  For three years this is amazing! Very full and quite mature already, tastes easily twice it's age. This is gonna be a stunner in a few years. Pricing is slightly ambitious for a 3 year old, but the quality backs it up.

84 points.

Ichiro's Malt - Double Distilleries

Double Distilleries - that means it's most likely a vatting from the now closed Hanyu distillery and the new Chichibu distillery.
Bottled at 46% vol.

• Nose: Apple, fresh, wood, a bit menthol , with water more sweetness
• Mouth: herb tea, cedar wood, cinnamon, cloves
• Finish: Oak, dry and a bit smokey

Comments: Light and fresh, quite a bit better than the MWR. Price is a bit high thou.

84 points
(2011)

Ichiro's Malt - MWR

MWR - that's Mizunara Wood Reserve. A blend by Ichiro Akuto from undisclosed distilleries (most likely Hanyu and Chichibu)  and finished in a Mizunara (Japanese oak) cask.

Bottled at 46% vol.

• Nose: Old wood, rum raisin chocolate
• Mouth: Light, oak, malt sweetness
• Finish: Short, dry, a bit oak

Comments: Nice, light and pleasant. But where is the Mizunara influence?  With mizunara oak I'd expect a richer and spicier whisky. Also the price tag is too high on this one in my opinion, at least here in Europe.

79 points

(2011)