Ichiro's Malt Chichibu Single Cask PX for Modern Malt Whisky Market 2014 Tokyo

Cask type: Pedro Ximenez Sherry - Spanish Oak: Hogshead - Cask# 2640 : - Distilled: December 2010 - Bottled: - September 2014 - ABV: - 59.7%

Nose: Strawberries and cream soft chewy lollies. Earl grey tea fruit cake, lemon and honey tea, maraschino cherry and/or black forest cherry sauce. Soft tonnes of fresh licorice sticks. Late arrival on sourness. With water golden brown toasted raisin bread with a smear of butter, strawberry wafer biscuits, and Umeshu. Sweet and sour sauce. Hints of vermouth at times with fragrant orange.

Taste: To begin with it is hot. Then it moves expressively to spicy grilled figs, pink pepper corns, dry sherry - more so than PX, and Rocky road. Time in the glass works well with this Chichibu, which allows further development of menthol, earl grey tea, and spicy lemon peel. With water this malt has a lot more riding - berry marmalade, a touch of star anise, and mint leaves lollies. If you can be extra patient and let it sit after dilution you get a lovely liquid herb combo (again Vermouth?) and a hint of eucalyptus honey.

Finish: Moderate to long. Menthol spices, a touch of licorice, raspberry spicy sauce, dry sherry, dried orange peel, and marmalade. Dry. Water loosens up the dryness and takes a notch of the spicyness.

Comment: To date with what I own and have opened this is one of my favourite single casks from a handful of Chichibu's. Have yet to open the Oloroso.

Akkeshi Distillery Launches Facebook Page

Kenten Co. Ltd, the owners of the upcoming Akkeshi Distillery in Hokkaido, has created an official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/akkeshi.distillery, as a platform to communicate with potential fans, and to provide an additional scope into the birth of their distillery-in-progress.

From today onward (September 1, 2015 – 12:00pm JST), Japanese whisky enthusiasts will be able to follow the fruitful efforts of the people responsible for one of Japan’s newest proposed distilleries, and find out about the latest developments of the distillery as they happen.

Take a look at the Akkeshi Distillery’s recently developed website, and keep an eye on their Facebook page for highlights.