Ichiro's Malt Chichibu Chibidaru 2013 Official Bottling

Distilled: 2009 - Bottled: 2013 - ABV: 53.5% - Outturn: 3900 bottles - Bottle#1000

Nose: Ovaltine powder - milk flavouring product made with malt extract, and lots of it (the malt extract part). There are Yo-Yo biscuits - a combo of butter and honey, rich doughy biscuits. Sweet toffee and Mitarashi Dango: Japanese dumpling/sweets made from rice flour covered with syrup made from soy sauce and starch. Porridge oats and almond shells are also present. With time there are hints of over ripe permission and sugar fried cinnamon donuts. Water enhances the honey.

Palate: I find it a bit flat to be honest. I must admit that I’m heavily comparing it with single cask Chibidaru’s, unfair I know as this is not a single cask but a vatting of many. However, there is consistency with the nose: malt extract, butter and honey, interplay of spices, not in your face but earthy and nutty - cinnamon and nutmeg, along with spicy permission after time. It’s quite chaffy, weak porridge oats and burnt toffee with fresh tree almonds. Water not really needed in my opinion but it does increase the spice.

Finish: Medium on toffee and porridge oats with a thin layer of light honey and almond oil.

Comment: Not a whisky that's full of complexity. Great in its own way, but lacking the qualities as previously witnessed with other Chibidaru bottlings, but again I’m being critical and comparing it, which is something I know I should not do. Still I like it.

For an alternate review check out The Japanese Whisky Review