Whisky : Chichibu The US Edition 2019 US

Country/Region : Japan

ABV : 55.5%

Cask : Various

Nose : Wood, fruit, and salt. Heady mizunara-driven notes of sandalwood and cedar with dried fruits and citrus peel. Lovely salty-fruity overtones of dried plums, salted lemon peel gummies, and dried tangerines.

Palate : Medium-bodied and rich with wood, fruit, and barbecue. Toasty with hints of burning sandalwood, citrus oils, and salted lemon peel. The rich umami of sweet shoyu carried the profile into tangy barbecue sauce and a lovely sweet, salty, and savory medley.

Finish : Lingering notes of sweet, tangy barbecue sauce.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Arbysauce

Notes : Something about this dram recalled childhood memories of eating Arby's on the weekend with my grandparents. Arby's is an American fast-food chain specializing in roast beef sandwiches for those unfamiliar. One of the condiments they provide is a tangy-sweet barbecue sauce: Arbysauce. My grandmother always preferred horseradish sauce for hers, but I loved the combination of rich beef and sweet, salty, tangy barbecue sauce. There are no Arby's locations anywhere near where I live, so it is not something I have eaten in the decades since I left home, but that roast beef rests at the core of a precious memory.

The barbecue sauce note at the end was unexpected, and it seemed to take over the entire experience once it appeared. I would have chalked that up to just nostalgia, if not for friends present at the tasting relating similar notes (though they did not describe it as Arby sauce, I do not know if that was even a familiar register to them). The profile was rich and unctuous with beautifully complementary flavors. Knowing how expensive and difficult Chichibu can be to acquire, I hated how much I enjoyed this.