Category Archives: Chichibu

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Single Cask Blended Whisky 2019 for mick’s Niseko Japan. Finishing Cask Bourbon Barrel #4989 58.5%abv

Posted on by
Reply

Nose: Very Rich! Some classic strong Chichibu, malt, toffee, honey and apple pie/strudel notes. Banana, pineapple, cinnamon, dried mango and vanilla.
Palate: Wood spices and a rum like quality, I’m thinking Jamaica or Guyana. Lots of tropical fruits, banana, mango, pineapple, passionfruit. The malt, honey, vanilla and apple pie remain but take a back seat to the tropical fruits. Pepper and garam masala. Spicier with water added.
Finish: Apple pie, butter, dried mango, banana, then goes all minty fresh plus some oak. After a couple of minutes the fruits are back. Very good length and the fruits are even juicier with water added.
Last Word: This is a World Blended Whisky, with Chichibu Malt and Grain Whisky from other countries. I find it quite wonderful and now my favorite World Blended Whisky from Ichiro-san.

Rating: 91/100

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Japanese Blended Whisky Limited Edition 2018 48%abv

Posted on by
Reply

P1050436Palate: Fruit mince pie, plum sauce, currants, molasses, pumpernickel, sea spray, sherry, saddles bags, sweet pipe tobacco, cockles, caramel, vanilla, roses. Ever evolving!
Palate: Sherry, mixed nuts, orange juice, nutmeg, pepper, roses, peppermint, papaya, plum sauce, cherry cream filled chocolate, molasses, raisins.
Finish: Floral’s, macadamia’s, old leather, honey, marmalade, dried mango, peppermint, burnt eucalyptus.
Last Word: The ghosts of the flavors linger until the following day.

Rating: 92/100
*Note: A blend of Hanyu and Chicibu Single Malts and Kawasaki Single Grain Whisky.

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain for Claude Whisky 10th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Finish #8259 59.7%abv

Posted on by
2

P1050398Nose: Black plums, black cherries, Flambeau bananas, brandy snaps, caramelized orange slices, toffee, raspberry jam, English breakfast tea, honey, saddle bags, floor polish, dried papaya and mango, rye spice, dusty oak barrels.
Palate: Pecan pie, toffee, rhubarb, vanilla, butter. There is some serious richness from the sherry cask and old Kawasaki single grain whisky. Quince jam, brown sugar, banana, coal, cherry cream, dried mango, nutmeg, sugared apple pie crust. A few drops of water adds a little pepper and ginger warmth, orange and sugared pink grapefruit.
Finish: Old oak barrels, cigar leaf, hint of pepper taste but not heat, toffee, cherry cream, bananas, quince jam, English breakfast tea with 1 sugar, bbq hotplate, minties. Water brings a return to warming pepper and ginger.
Great length. A whisky that leaves an impression of it’s essence over to the next day.
Last Word: I’ve had a number of these Ichiro’s Malt & Grain whiskies and if you have had the white label, premium or this years limited edition blue label this is a big step up in my opinion. You would have to go to one of the Kiyosato Field Ballet bottling’s that only have old Hanyu and Kawasaki whisky in the blend to go up a couple of ratings points and they are 10 x or more the price of this one. A rich indulgence and glad I also have another bottle.

Rating: 90/100
*Note: This is the make up of the blend
CHICHIBU malt matured in bourbon barrel
CHICHIBU malt matured in sherry cask
Some malt whiskies matured over 10 years from Scotland
KAWASAKI 33YO single grain whisky distilled in 1982
After blending, re-casked in bourbon barrel 8259 and matured for 2 years and 9 months.

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Limited Edition 48%abv

Posted on by
4

P1050370Nose: Apple pie, sweet corn, white pepper, honey, vanilla, toffee, sawdust.
Palate: Baking spices, apple danish, salt, sweetened lemons, fresh ginger, white pepper, banana, sawdust, raisins.
Finish: Banana, apple danish, white pepper, sawdust.
Last Word: This is a blend of Chichibu Single Malt Whisky and grain whisky from unknown distilleries outside of Japan. Certainly a step up from the Ichiro’s Malt & Grain White Label but lets compare it to someone Japanese fully homegrown blends. I paid 9000 yen for the Ichiro’s Premium in Japan. At the moment in Japan you can buy Nikka Premium Blend 12YO for around Y5000 and Nikka Whisky From The Barrel Y2500 and IMO both are superior. Suntory Hibiki Harmony Masters Select(travel exclusive)for roughly Y9000 and again I wouldn’t hesitate to say superior the Ichiro’s hybrid blend.

Rating: 82/100

Ichiro’s Malt Bartender’s Choice Special Blended Whisky 2015 59.8%abv

Posted on by
Reply

BAL_3885.jpgNose: Surely some sherry cask matured whisky in the mix? Cherry cream chocolate, Raisins, pink grapefruit, papaya, sawdust, pear wine gums, California Zinfandel.
Palate: Nutmeg, apple pie, pink grapefruit, cloves, salt and pepper, paprika, California Zinfandel, creaming soda, cherry, orange jus.
Finish: Paprika, fermented pears, California Zinfandel, lemon cough drops and finishes with some ashy dryness.
Last Word: Typical Japanese ‘Clayton’s’ blended whisky. The blend you have when your not wanting a blend. The person I bought this from kindly approached the bottler and could not get any concrete info on what the make up of this bottling is. The whiff of sherry and the cherry has me thinking there is some Kawasaki single sherry grain whisky in the blend. Overall a very nice whisky with good complexity.

Rating: 86/100

Ichiro’s Malt and Grain 20YO 46%

Posted on by
Reply

ichiros-malt-and-grain-20yo-46Nose: Straight off the bat I pick up the Kawasaki influence, so sherry cask single grain. Cream of wheat, creamed corn, toffee, pipe tobacco, leather, fresh cut timber, hessian, mint and white pepper. Rich and succulent.
Palate: More of the Kawasaki sherry cask single grain. Chinese 5 spice, marzipan, nougat, pine, pipe tobacco, leather, rhubarb, roasted chestnuts and honey on crumpets.
Finish: Follows the palate with the pipe tobacco and leather prominent.
Last Word: This is a blend of Hanyu malt and Kawasaki single grain whiskies. There have been a number of these with 20YO age statements and different labels and I am not sure if they are the same bottling or not. Well crafted, high end blending.

Rating: 89/90

Ichiro’s Malt and Grain Premium 50% abv

Posted on by
Reply

p1000853

Nose: Sherry but not heavy. Rhubarb, vanilla, sweet tobacco, strawberry compote, oak, yeast, mint, pepper,
Palate: Glazed cherries, toffee, cinnamon, wholemeat dough, sweet glazes oranges, rhubarb.
Finish: Glazed cherry, rhubarb, toffee, oak. The flavours tend to clash more than gel. Last Word: Reminds me somewhat of Ichiro’s Malt for the Taster which has a similar issue. Not bad by any means, just something not quite right for my palate.
Rating: 81/100

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain. 46%abv

Posted on by
Reply

ichiros-malt-and-grain-46

Nose: Peach fuzz, vanilla, lychen, barley, cauliflower and white sauce, lemon, woodstain, straw, banana.
Palate: Light and crisp, lemon squash, chestnuts, straw, barley, vanilla, banana and a little chilli. With water, it has toffee, tobacco and pineapple.
Finish: Shortish, smooth and easy going. Bittersweet. On toffee, lemon, tobacco, bran, banana and a hint of nutmeg.
Last Word: Has evolved positively with time.
Rating: 79/100