Whisky : Chichibu The US Edition 2020

Country/Region : Japan

ABV : 55.5%

Cask : Refill and First Fill Bourbon, Chibidaru, Wine

Age : 5 Years

Nose : A delight of juicy caramelized grilled fruits with pineapple and lilikoi fronting a faint maritime salt and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Palate : Medium-bodied with fruits and herbs. Lively and herbal with green tobacco and grilled fruits from the outset. Grilled lilikoi, oranges, and pineapple appeared along with spearmint and a pronounced minerality at the end.

Finish : Lingering herbal mint and subtle fruit.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Grilled Fruit Cocktail

Notes : Chichibu was category-defining as a craft independent distillery in Japan. It laid the groundwork for the explosion of distilleries that have popped up since it achieved critical acclaim. I was intrigued by the opportunity to try peated Chichibu; though there was a bit of peat in the 2019 US Edition, I have not had any other peat-forward Chichibu (not that I can afford to drink much Chichibu either way).

I tried this side by side with the 2019 US Edition at a birthday tasting back in November last year. I thought the 2020 edition was overall more straightforward, though it had an interesting contrast between fruits and herbs. It had ample juicy grilled fruits, but its more herbaceous side took center stage. The peated malt contributed a whiff of smoke and some nice char but primarily expressed itself through vegetation and herbal notes. The bottle was quite lovely but did not hit the same high as the previous year’s edition.