Whisky: Chichibu 8 Year (2011) Cask 1173 for Independent Whisky Bars of Scotland

Country/Region: Japan

ABV: 50.5%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 8 Years (Distilled 2011, Bottled 2019)

Nose: Tropical fruits, dried vegetation, cured wood and dried bamboo, vanilla, cocoa powder, malty pastries with a touch of cream.

Palate: Medium-bodied, tropical fruits and wood, a touch of melon, sandalwood, bamboo, milk chocolate, black pepper.

Finish: Long and lingering with pepper, tropical fruit, and shortbread cookies.

Score: 7-8 (85)

Mental Image: Tropical Fruit and Charcuterie on the Lanai

Narrative & Notes: Tropical fruits and dried vegetation arrived with freshly cut mango, passionfruit, and pineapple— all enjoyed from a rattan loveseat on a cool breezy lanai. Woodsy vanilla and bark led to cocoa powder, milk chocolate, cream, and malty pastries as the fruits shifted to jam-stuffed shortbread. Medium-bodied with tropical fruits and wooden cutting boards on the palate— a fruit salad with fresh pineapple, mango, guava, and honeydew melon. A touch of sandalwood incense drifted toward cracked black pepper, cured bamboo, and finally some milk chocolate.  The finish was long and lingered with a touch of white pepper funk between tropical fruits and shortbread cookies.

Delicious stuff; I love a good tropical fruit profile, especially when it sits me down on the lanai and tells me to just relax for the evening.  This had a bit of peppery spice to keep things lively, but otherwise it was all fresh cut tropical fruits and shortbread pastries— a bit of Taiwanese pineapple cake really.

Overall, lovely stuff with some of my favorite Chichibu elements. It was a touch woodsy and rough when the black pepper hit, and those elements had a tendency to linger and become a bit drying over time, but that was a minor issue on what was otherwise a balanced and tasty malt.

Image Credit: Must Have Malts