Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The Floor Malted



Distilled: 2009 - Bottled: 2012 - ABV: 50.5 percent - Age: 3 years old - Outturn: 8800

Nose: An array of sweet sensations: Werther’s original butterscotch, sticky date pudding, French toast, a hint of diluted mixed berry cordial, vanilla slice: pastry filled vanilla custard topped with white vanilla icing and sprinkled coconut, pumpkin seeds, and oats: light honey poured over porridge.

Taste: Mild. Japanese mugicha (roasted barley tea), spicy butterscotch, Summer Rolls: chocolate coconut bar with nougat. A drop of water adds sweet spice, bitter chocolate, and a presence of Arnott’s Yo-Yo biscuits.

Finish: Moderate, a pinch of cinnamon and bitter chocolate before ending with a light honey biscuit dough and slight vegetal note.

Comment: Most likely one of the sweetest malts, in terms of aroma, I have come across in a very long time. It is certainly hard to distinguish the ABV of 50.5 percent, as the malt is soft and mild, not bad for a three year-old. This expression, like all of Ichiro’s malts has yet again proved to be popular. As an example, the Umeda Hankyu department store had a total of nine bottles available in stock, which retailed at 8,500 yen. The whisky team at the Hankyu whisky corner has informed me the last bottle sold during the beginning of the week. For future reference, the guys at the Hankyu whisky corner are worth a visit when new bottlings are released, reason being, like they did with The Floor Malted, they give you the option of buying 100ml or 200ml decanters. In my opinion this is great, especially if times are not the best financially.



Reviewed by Clint A
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6 comments:

  1. DavidApril 11, 2012 at 10:34 PM

    Nice review, this is the first one with tasting notes ive been able to track down... had heard the back story to this release so good to see that you managed to track a bottle down.

    seeing that kilchoman in islay and ichiro at chichibu are heading down the same paths, whisky production wise(locally grown barley, everything produced on site), it would be interesting to see a side by side tasting with the two. the new batches of production from both distilleries are roughly the same ages too.

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    1. - Clint AApril 13, 2012 at 9:58 AM

      Thanks for your comment David. I'm looking forward to reading other peoples tasting notes on this once they become available. As for your comment regarding Kilchoman and Chichibu, have you read the interesting article by Nick Coldicott on this topic?

      http://drinks.coldicott.net/kilchoman-x-chichibu/

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  2. AnonymousApril 13, 2012 at 12:20 AM

    There is now a second batch of this in shops in Japan, and apparently tastes way different from the first. I won't be buying this either as it is way over priced. Should be at least half IMO.

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  3. - Clint AApril 13, 2012 at 10:03 AM

    I was in Hankyu Umeda this week and learned that they have got a second batch in. I would be interested to compare them if they are apparently way different. As for the price, it is expensive. I'm inclined to think that these prices will become the norm for future Ichiro's bottlings.

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  4. dramtasticApril 22, 2012 at 6:03 AM

    The price should come as no surpise. The Chichibu Newborns at 3 months were selling for the same price as a ten year old from the big 4 Japanese distilleries(about Y4500). Quite frankly, in the case of the Newborn Heavily Peated it was worth it.
    Anyway I bought 2 bottles of the Floor Malted as I don't worry the age/price ratio of Chichibu's.

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  5. Danielle OwenNovember 23, 2024 at 10:45 PM

    Thaanks for the post

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