Ichiro’s Malt Wine Wood Reserve
Whisky : Ichiro’s Malt Wine Wood Reserve
Country/Region : Japan/Chichibu
ABV : 46%
Cask : Ex-bourbon/French Red Wine Cask finish
Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ HWG Series #3
Nose : Is it squid ink pasta, a spilt inkwell, or freshly made tie dyed t-shirt? There is something vinegary and sulfuric to the nose— it is funk to the max and not altogether pleasant. Old mud stained sneakers and a bit of rotten vegetation hint at some feet in need of wash.
Palate : More pleasant than the nose— juicy purple plums and sesame candy wash out of the glass. There are elements of savory umami that take hold; black vinegar and a black sesame sauce. The funk comes around near the end like an earthy fungus, hardboiled eggs, or maybe some slightly spoiled meat.
Finish : Medium to long finish with funky, almost musky, sweets.
Score : 3
Mental Image : A fridge in desperate need of being cleaned out.
Something Better : Westland Garryana 2018 Edition 3.1 (some similar egg and vinegar notes, but more complex and balanced against peat)
Something Better : Bowmore 12 Year; The Exclusive Malts (similar old shoe, more coastal, more smoke)
Notes : This was weird and really unlike any of the other Chichibu I have tried. I was told that the nose was a bit strange but that the actual body was quite tasty. I am not sure I agree. The flavor profile was just too wacky for me to really relax with— but just maybe weird enough that I could see myself one day craving to try again.
Red Wine casks can really impart some odd notes on a whisky and I tend to believe they work better with something that has loads of malt character or a hefty peat. This did not really have either and so the dram ended up absolutely dominated by the funky strange notes that came out of the wine casks.
There is a lot to love about Chichibu and Ichiro— so many great bottles have come offer their stills and through their hands. Yet, not every bottle is worth the price and as the distillery has taken on a cult like character among some collectors there just are not a lot of great affordable bottles out there. Every new single cask release triggers a stampede of FOMO induced madness and immediate internet bottle flipping. Whisky fans or whisky curious drinkers are left with more mainstream releases like this to gobble up and even with core releases like this the prices have long eclipsed the value in my opinion.
