Whisky : Chita 4 Year SMWS G13.1 “A complete revelation”

Country/Region : Japan (Single Grain)

ABV : 58.3%

Cask : First Fill Virgin American Oak Puncheon

Age : 4 Years (Distilled Oct. 2009)

Nose : Rich oaky notes of tapioca custard, vanilla cream pudding, and honey.  Dessert in the garden as floral notes of gardenia and plumeria come into focus.  A bit of youthful heat shines through with fragrant spicy cinnamon, cardamon, and sweet shoyu.

Palate :  Thick mouthfeel with loads of oaky-tannic structure.  Banana pudding, vanilla creme brûlée, toasted marshmallows, and sticky toffee.  Fruit builds on the mid-palate with guava, peach tea, and candied almonds.  A few drops of water bring forward sugar and creme with coconut candies, fruity bubble gum, and caramel covered cake donuts.

Finish : Dry and sweet warm caramel over vanilla bean ice cream.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Ice Cream Sunday

Something Better : Bowmore 22Y 1997 Manger’s Selection (similar shoyu & rich wood, more complex)

Something Similar : Girvan 34Y SMWS G7.15 (similar creme brûlée & oaky structure, more grainy)

Notes : We poured this bottle for the virtual first birthday celebration of our local whisky group.  It had been sitting in a member’s bunker for a few years as a bottle he had picked up randomly and could never bring himself to open.  He explained that every time he thought about trying it he would think about all the other whiskies he could buy if he just auctioned it off.  Well, we were happy to provide him a reason to break it out and share it in celebration.  The tasting was conducted totally blind, this was sample #2 in the lineup.  It had a couple of real fans, but most thought it came off as a bit young.  While it was quite spirited, everyone was shocked to find out it was only four years old.  It was an absolutely delicious blend of cream and spice with tantalizing hints of tropical fruit, it had loads of excellent depth.  The virgin oak lent it a lot of tannic structure which gave the dram a beautiful mouthfeel and a healthy dose of vanilla.  This was totally unlike the NAS Chita that I tried before and rather liked, all the flavors were turned up to eleven.  An absolute treat of a bottle to share and one I enjoyed coming back to later.