Tag Archives: japanese single cask whisky

Chichibu Single Cask Bourbon Barrel #2243 2012-2019 62.5%abv

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Nose: Crisp barley, pepper, lemon zest, lychees, green apples, nutmeg, vanilla custard, a little insence. A floral element with water added.
Palate: Barley, nutmeg, Sara Lee apple crumble, vanilla, pepper, dark chocolate, lots of malt. Water adds toffee, lemon squash soda, juicy oranges. Medium bodied.
Finish: Malt, apple crumble, balanced oak. Becomes quite ashy and then a mineral/metallic element.
Last Word: For lovers of malty whiskies. Really hits is stride with some water which adds complexity and lengthens the finish.

Rating: 89/100

Ichiro’s Malt Four of Hearts 1st Cask Hogshead 2nd Cask French Oak Cognac 2000-2011 11YO 59.2%abv

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Nose: Red grapes, cherry cream, floral, macadamias, orange slices, some leather and sweet tobacco. Quite mild for cask strength.
Palate: Belies the gentleness of the nose with plenty of warming oak spices. Orange slices, sweet tobacco, leather, some oak tannins, licorice, cinnamon, barley, mustard, peanut butter, raisins. Water ramps up the warm oak spices.
Finish: Oranges, vanilla, some oak tannins, dried mango slices. Water lengthens the finish with lashings of juicy and tangy citrus fruits, the peanut butter and menthol.
Last Word: Up there with the better whiskies in the Card Series. Would have cracked a 90 score if the nose was bolder.

Rating: 89/100

Chichibu For Whisky Talk Fukuoka 2018 8YO Ex Hanyu Cask #% 62.3%abv

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Nose: Rich! Peaches, apricots, dates, scones with strawberry jam. Yeasty, hoppy, oak staves that have been soaking in whisky maturing in a ex beer cask.
Palate: Strawberries, stawberry ice cream, vanilla wafers, dates, chocolate, Hokkaido baked cheese tarts. With water raisin toast and brandy snaps. Full bodied.
Finish: Sweet on baking spices, hops, yeast, malt & vanilla wafers.
Last Word: A quite different style of Chichibu and no less appealing for it. Excellent!

Rating: 90/100

Mars Komagatake Double Cask Bourbon Barrels #3302 20PPM & #332 50PPM 2016 3YO 61%abv

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Nose: Maritime notes of brine, sea spray and dried seaweed. Quite some pepper also coal, creosote, lemon zest, toffee, some sort of lacquered wood, smoked ham hocks and a big hit of vanilla. With water this is even bigger on the smoked pork and adds grilled capsicums, sugar coated euchalyptus jellies and smokey BBQ sauce.
Palate: Peat mixed with honey, toffee and vanilla. Creosote, dried apricots, dried papaya, smoked ham hocks. Some sweetened citrus and salted caramal. With water the salt spikes and some hot spices and tangy citrus are added. Medium bodied.
Finish: Sweet peat, sweetened citrus, creosote, salted caramel, some oak taninns and lingering smoke. Water doubles the length of the finish.
Last Word: Outstanding 3YO whisky! Complex. Mars at the very top of their young whisky game!

Rating: 90/100
Note: At the time of writing this can be tasted at Aloha Whisky Bar Tokyo.

Japanese Whisky Bar Report – Aloha Whisky Bar Tokyo

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Aloha Whisky

A newcomer to the Tokyo Whisky Bar scene, Aloha Whisky Bar in Ikebukuro opened it’s doors in September 2019.
The bar is owned and operated by the affable Mr David Tsujimoto, a native of Hawaii of Japanese decent. David has lived in Tokyo for the last 6 years and in that time has collected an extremely impressive range of whiskies. Around 600 bottlings in total and if that is not enough to wet your appetite, about 250 of these are Japanese Whiskies. That number of Japanese Whiskies propels Aloha Whisky Bar straight into the Major Leagues!

Aloha Whisky 2The majority of the other whiskies on offer are Scottish or Bourbons but there is also whisky from Canada, Ireland, Taiwan, Hawaii, Australia, Switzerland and China.
Other alcoholic beverages include Beer, Red and White Wine, Gin, and Cognac. David also has a passion for rums so if your interested in rums, ask David for a recommedation of one of the rums at the bar. We did and it was a suberb fruit bomb!
Starting prices for half shots of no age statement Japanese Single Malt Whiskies is Y500 and Single Cask Japanese Whiskies from the likes of Chichibu Y1500.
If you are new to whisky David offers a number of tasting flights from both Scotland and Japan. A tasting flight was the starting point for my own Japanese Whisky odyssey over 10 years ago.
As David is always on the lookout for new whisky expressions, you would be certain of an exciting experience even after multiple visits to Aloha Whisky Bar.
Aloha Whisky Bar is also a non smoking venue, a boon for anyone who actually wants to nose and taste whisky not just cigarette smoke all night. The bar seats around 10-12.
The bar is currently open every day except Tuesdays from 6PM-11:30PM. I always recommend before going to any bar that you check out their Facebook page for any updates to opening hours. Directions to the bar if arriving by train are pretty straight forward. Exit C3 of the Fukutoshin(F) area of Ikebukuro Station. If you can’t find C3 ask any station staff. When you exit C3 at street level the bar is directly across the road a few meters to the left. It is on level 3 accessed by a small elevator. Picture below includes the sign for Aloha Whisky Bar.
I cannot recommend Aloha Whisky Bar highly enough and it will be one of my regulars whenever I am in Tokyo.

Aloha Whisky 3

Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu for Shinanoya & Highlander Inn 2010 6YO Bourbon Barrel #710 61.3%abv

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Ichiros malt chichibu for shinanoya & highlander innNose: Initially acetone. Cinnamon and apple pie, fresh cut timber, pears, vanilla, With water there is a sweet bubblegum note. Not particularly complex but it’s fresh and lively.
Palate: Huge alcohol punch without water. For myself, needed a fair dash of water to open up. Then we have pickled ginger, fermented blueberries, tart apples, kiwi fruit, cranberries and butterscotch.
Finish: For a young whisky quite some cask influence. Apple sauce, leather satchels, kiwi fruit, tart red berries, black tea like tannins, pepper and butter menthols.
Last Word: Bit unruly and lacks in complexity but there is no doubt about the quality of the distillation.

Rating: 84/100

White Oak Akashi 5YO Bourbon Cask #1354 for Espoa 56%abv

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P1050446Nose: Fresh! I’d suspect 1st Fill Bourbon Cask. Wood shaving’s, apple sauce, bread dough, white pepper, rolling tobacco, pollen, lemon zest, green mango. Some bourbon like spice & hint of perfume a la Four Roses. Water doesn’t make a huge difference, maybe a winey note, stronger vanilla & florals/pollen.
Palate: Salt & pepper. Honey, vanilla, bee’s wax, green mango, fresh ginger, black currant jellies, lemon sherbet. Water ramps up the salt & hot spices. Medium bodied,
Finish: Bread dough, green mango, bee’s wax, vanilla, marzipan, almonds, wood shaving’s, clove, banana candies, fried onion. With water the warm spices ratchet up so much it numbs the palate then after a few minutes slowly fades to some peppermint. Good length.
Last Word: Probably the best bourbon cask Asashi I’ve tasted. Interesting & complex. A real surprise packet that I’d forgotten we owned and everyone in my Japanese Whisky group enjoyed.

Rating: 88/100

Mars Single Cask Komagatake 2012 6YO Bourbon Cask # 1493 Heavily Peated 60%abv

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850_6876Nose: Mechanics workshop, Dettol, fermented pears, apple sauce, lemon cough mixture, lacquered teak, gun powder, licorice, pouch tobacco, tea leaves. Water added you get some white chocolate and white flowers.
Palate: Mechanics workshop, Turkish Delight, rhubarb, fermented pears, cocoa powder, licorice, apple sauce. Pepper, cloves, bay leaves, lemon sherbet. Water brings out some almond and orange zest.
Finish: Ash, pouch tobacco, lemon cough mixture, nutmeg, bay leaves, vanilla, lemon sherbet, white chocolate.
Last Word: A beauty from Mars. Despite the 50ppm of peat there’s a fresh liveliness. Not the type of whisky that uses heavily peating to hide a multitude of sins. Complex for the age and very well balanced.

Rating: 90/100

Japanese Whisky News – Insanity Prevails as 8 Grand Worth of Ichiro’s Malt Card Series Sells for Almost 1 Million at Auction

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Ichiro's Malt Card Series

Once again proof positive that wealth and insanity are not mutually exclusive. A NOT full set of Ichiro’s Malt Card Series Whisky sold at yesterdays Bonham’s Auction in Hong Kong. Buyer paid US$917,000! To put this in perspective I would calculate the average price when these were sold retail and very slowly at the time, was about US$150 a bottle. A number of the first bottling’s were under 100 bucks a pop and the most expensive when released was the Monochrome Joker which I paid $AUD350 for. My simple maths is that if you bought the 54 bottling’s that sold at this auction when first released at average US$150 a bottle = US$8,100. If you think that average bottling price is inaccurate then you weren’t around at the time. I still have 8 of the bottling’s and sold another 5 so still have all the records of what I paid back in the day. I also used to have a link the Ichiro’s Venture Whisky website and you would be shocked to see how cheap these were when viewed in black and white.
Fact of the matter, the Hanyu distillery closed because no one was buying the stuff, though they certainly weren’t an island in that respect for Japanse Whisky. IMO the provenance of these bottling’s is only rarity. There are some excellent one’s and some average one’s, so it isn’t based on these all being stella tasting whiskies. Looking through Whiskybase the average bottle rating is about 88/100 which is still commendable but hardly commensurate with the price based on the juice alone. Only one bottling actually hit 91/100 and no Card Series Bottling is in the top 5 rated Hanyu on Whiskybase. Another thing is Ichiro san bottled these with Playing Card Labels as a marketing tactic. It was not based on these being the pick of the litter from the remaining casks. So, if these were not a set but just had regular labels, how much would they be worth. A shit load less I’d venture. I’ve tasted and own a number of other Hanyu that are the equal or better than some of the Card Series and although still expensive these day’s, nothing like the cost of a bottle from the Card Series. What price a simple label!!!.
If you wish to know what a true full set of 58 Ichiro’s Malt Card Series bottling’s constitutes it’s here.

Suntory sinks $56 mil into expanding whisky ageing warehouse

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So Suntory is expanding it’s facility at the Omi Aging Cellar in Shiga Prefecture so that it will be able to hold approximately an extra 40,000 barrels.
56 mil to only add storage for 40,000 barrels to Suntory’s current capacity of 1.52 million barrels.
Wow, did anyone crunch those numbers? 1400 hundred bucks worth of space for each barrel. If only we all had the readies to for such an indulgence!
Yes Suntory has aleady had 2 x expansions since the Japanese Whisky drought but 40,000 barrels ain’t going to help when I assume a lot of that juice will only go into blends such as Kakabin.

Mars Le Papillon 2013 6YO American White Oak Cask # 1698 58%

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P1050437Nose: Decking stain, vanilla, dusty old books, tart red berries, nectarines, peach skins. Toffee, tar, black tea. A few drops of water reveals a floral element and turns up the toffee and vanilla.
Palate: Tangy oranges, malt, vanilla cake, nutmeg, white peaches, grapefruit, fresh ginger, Brazil nuts, some oiliness to the mouth feel. Red peanut skins, salt, medium bodied. Water brings out some orange & banana cake and ups the ginger heat.
Finish: The tangy oranges, Brazil nuts, vanilla cake, orange cake, menthol, sesame oil, some drying oak and black tea tannins. Medium length.
Last Word: With some time open, this is a complex young whisky with a mix of sweet, bitter and spicy elements.

Rating: 88/100
You can also check out Whisky Richards review over an Nomunication

Mars Le Papillon 2015 4YO Sherry Butt # 5152 58%abv

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P1050438Nose: Sweet marsala, nutmeg, seared orange slices, toffee, an earthy note, candy coated nuts, BBQ sauce, plum sauce, Turkish Delight, some flintiness, tar. With water this is more earthy also, vanilla, hession, sea spray.
Palate: Sherry, cherries, ash, coal, tar, earthy peat, toffee, cashews, juicy dates, salt, pepper, oranges. Full bodied with a medium peating level. With water more tart, tangy and smokey.
Finish: Long on cherries, dates, toffee, ash, cashews, cacao nibs, cigar leaf, earthy peat. Water adds bonfire smoke and peppermint.
Last Word: Almost half the bottle has gone and I’m going to have to hind this one from myeslf. Great young whisky! Mars does not always get sherry cask matured whisky right but they’ve nailed it with this one!

Rating: 90/100

Yamazaki SMWS 2003 11YO Bota Corta Cask 118.14 53.9%abv

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Yamazaki SMWS Bota Corta Cask 119.14 53.9%abv-2Nose: The darkest cherries, brandy, raspberry coulis, nutmeg, cinnamon, raisins, the ubiquitous Christmas Cake.
Palate: Blood oranges, raspberries, nutmeg, cocoa, Christmas Cake, Guinness Stout, tea tannin’s, sweet tobacco, peanut butter, red skinned peanuts.
Finish: Dry sherry, wood tannin’s, stout, cherries, raspberry conserve, nutmeg, sweet tobacco and lots of orange citric tang.
Last Word: Makes an impact at only 11 years old and very enjoyable at that! To think these were only around a couple of hundred bucks when first release! Heavy sigh!
*Taste at Bar Te – Airigh Chichibu.

Rating: 90/100

The Japanese Whisky Review – 500 Japanese Whiskies Tasted!

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So what does it take for the average self funded Japanese Whisky Aficionado to reach 500 Japanese Whiskies tasted? 10 years, being in the right place at the right time, spending time on the ground in Japan making contacts, unwavering enthusiasm and a whole lot of hard earned cash!
How hard was it? That is a story of 2 parts. The “Glory” days between May 2009 (the first time I visited Japan) and roughly 2014 and the leaner times after that of rocketing prices and limited availability.
Getting to 100 was relatively easy. 200 wasn’t that hard either. From memory even 300 wasn’t too bad. Beyond that it felt like hitting a brick wall and if your’e like me and just an average middle class Joe, you already know the reasons why. I won’t rehash here recent Japanese Whisky history and why prices are so high and stock levels/variety so limited, there are enough stories on the net using a simple Google search.
The majority of Japanese Whiskies I’ve tasted have been drinkable at the very least all the way up to stellar. There have been some total duds of coarse which is to be expected.
Favorite distillery style is from Yoichi and I admire Yamazaki and Chichibu for innovation and at least when you can get them, variety. Most often imbibed daily dram is Nikka From the Barrel.
Most underrated distillery in Miyagikyo and most overrated is Karuizawa. I’ve tasted about the same amount of bottling’s from Mars Whisky as I have Karuizawa and overall I’d choose Mars any day. I’ll throw in a number of Hanyu Card series as overrated at least for the price they command these days.
For those wondering if there will ever be a return to the “Glory” days of cheap prices, easy access and lots of variety I’m going to have to be the bearer of bad tiding’s. As long as supply exceeds demand no way! Not only that, even when the big players Suntory and Nikka bring a variety of age statement whiskies back on line they have repeatedly said they see their products as premium. This means they will continue to charge commensurate premium prices compared to say, Scottish whiskies of the same age and availability. I do look forward however to the 3 year old bottling’s that will be released in 2020 from the newer distilleries such as Akkeshi, Shizuoka, Kanosuke and Mars Tsunuki. 2020 will also be banner year for Chichibu who will release their first official 10 year old whisky.
Finally I’ll list 25 Japanese Whiskies that aren’t daily drams that I would always love to have a stash of. These are whiskies that left an immediate impression and haven’t failed since.
Hibiki 21
The Hakushu SM Aged 15 Years 500ml 56%
The Hakushu Single Malt Sherry Cask #9O 50021 1989 TWE 62%
Suntory Owners Cask Hakushu 2000-2011 #EL 41914 Smoky & Bitter 57%
Suntory Owners Cask Bar Hermit Private Stock Yamazaki 1996 Sherry Butt 13YO #AX70004 60%
The Cask of Yamazaki 1993 Heavily Peated #3Q70047 62%
Suntory Blended Whisky For The Peninsula Tokyo 2014 43% Sherry Casks of Yamazaki, Hakushu, Chita
Miyagikyo Single Cask 1996 16YO Sherry Cask 60% #118913
Taketsuru Pure Malt 35YO
Yoichi Single Cask 1994 18YO #400749 Warehouse 25 62%
Yoichi Single Cask 1988-2013 23YO Warehouse 25 #100212 62%
Yoichi Peaty and Salty 1989 12YO Single Cask #251224 63.3%abv
Yoichi 20
Karuizawa 1992 #6978 62.8%
Mars Moltage 3 and 25 28YO 46%
Mars Malt Gallery 1985 23YO #324 American White Oak 58%
Mars Komagatake Single Cask Vintage 1989 23YO 63.5% Cognac Limousin Cask #1060
Mars Komagatake　27 years old Sherry Casks / American White Oak Cask 46%
Kawasaki Single Grain Sherry Butt 1982 28YO # 7414 65.5%
Chichibu Mizunara Puncheon Cask # 89 2008-2017 58.2%
Ichiro’s Malt 8 of Clubs 1988 23YO #7100 57.5
Ichiro’s Malt The Game 2000 9YO 61.2%
Ichiro’s Malt SC for Takashimaya 1991 18YO 46.5%
The Single Malt Chichibu Golden Horse 12-year-old, Bottle # 0263 2008 56%
Ichiro’s Malt and Grain Kiyosato Field Ballet 26th Anniversary Bottling 48%abv

White Oak Akashi 10YO Old Sherry Butt Cask #105206 60%abv

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P1050403Nose: Maraschino cherries, incense, plums grilled on a Korean BBQ, brandy covered Christmas pudding. Oriental tea, coal fired copper, orangey bourbon, cream cherry, flinty.
Palate: Dark plums and cherries, grilled orange slices, coal fired copper, brandy, vanilla, blackcurrant jam, the flint, herbaceous oriental tea. Water adds more fruits but but of the candied type.
Finish: Leather, tobacco, coal fired copper, burnt orange, flint, sherry, brandy, mint cherry.
Last Word: 10 years in this particular cask seems about spot on. The overriding impression is something peculiarly oriental in nature.

Rating: 87/100

Mars Le Papillon 2018 4YO Amercian White Oak Cask # 1870 60%abv

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P1050408Nose: Stone fruits such as apricots and nectarines, malt, vanilla, treacle, new wood. Active wood spices and a hit of pepper. Mars peats at 3 different level and this one seems to be the lightest of those at maybe 4ppm.
Palate: Honey, treacle, dried pears, oranges, vanilla soaked oak, white peaches, white flowers. Decent amount of oak which adds a drying element. The touch of peat. Water adds a some extra sweetness, with baking spices and lemon sherbet tang.
Finish: Treacle, honey, tea, vanilla. Water adds salt.
Last Word: Another impressive young Mars that gets better with time. Hopefully Mars are not just bottling every cask at around 3-4 years old and are holding some back to be released at 10 years plus.

Rating: 87/100

Buying Japanese Whisky in Japan 2019 Report

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The 2018 report was once again the most viewed post on the Japanese Whisky Review. Not surprising that given the Japanese Whisky drought, even more folks are keen to know where and when stuff is available. Comments were up by almost 200 on the 2017 report with 631 vs 433. A big shout out to all those who commented, especially the regulars!
I think we all know 2019 will be at least as tough buying Japanese Whisky in Japan as 2018 but every contribution counts so please keep the comments coming this year. I know from personal experience I was able to grab a number of bottles in 2018 that I would have missed out on if readers hadn’t advised of pending releases!
Kampai
Brian AKA Dramtastic

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

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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.

Bar Te – Airigh Chichibu Japan – Japanese Whisky

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IMG_1693 (1)-3After our tour of Chichibu Distillery had completed I asked if our tour guide Soma could recommend a good whisky bar in Chichibu town. He recommended Bar Te – Airigh and what an awesome recommendation it was. Now Soma called the bar Bar Cherry, as did Chichibu Brand Ambassador Yumi. I tried a google search that would translate Bar Te – Airigh to Bar Cherry but I could not find one.

Walking through the door into this awesome whisky cave felt immediately like home. Fantastic laid back vibe and friendly English speaking owner Takeshi Yokota. Bottles total around 600 of all types of whisky and about 150 of those are Japanese. Now 150 bottles of Japanese Whisky is tantalizing enough, but what makes Bar Cherry stand out from the crowd is probably the best selection of Chichibu Whisky available. Roughly half the bottles of Japanese Whisky are Chichibu, with so many being limited releases including the bars own bottling.

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I also found the bar great value and there is no seating charge. I had full shots of 2 Single Cask Chichibu, 1 being from a sample bottle of Chichibu that will be a bar exclusive released in a few months. Also 1 Miyagikyo Limited Release and Scotch Malt Whisky Society 119.14 Yamazaki and Scotch Malt Whisky Society 120.7 Hakushu both from Spanish Oak Bota Corta casks. My girlfriend had 3 JD mixers and we both had ham and cheese toasties and 1 x homemade baked cheese cake. Total price was about AUD$195 or US$145. If you know the prices of full bottles of the ones I tasted you will know why I think this was great value.
Takeshi san also graciously lined up the 6 2018 New Pot from the Shizuoka Distillery for me to try gratis.

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It takes around 70 minutes by Limited Express train to reach Chichibu from Ikebukuro Station Tokyo and the last 30 minutes or so winds its way through some lovely Japanese country side. As we did not know what time we would return from Chichibu we bought 1 way tickets in each direction. Total cost for the train tickets was about US$22 per person. All seats on the Limited Express trains are reserved so allow yourself enough time at Ikebukuro station to purchase these. There is a Limited Express office about 20 meters from the platform that the Chichibu LE train leaves from.
Bar Cherry is about a 15 minute walk or a few minutes by taxi from Chichibu Station. The address is 8-4 Daiichi-Isida Bld, Miyakawacho, Chichibu-shi Saitama 386-0046 Japan. Ph: 0494-24-8833.
Bar opens at 5PM and the last Limited Express back from Tokyo leave at around 10.25PM from memory. Takeshi san can advise of train times. We went on a Monday. Please check with the bar prior to visiting that they will be open on that day. You can send a message via the Facebook page.
I don’t pay a lot of attention to the non Japanese Whiskies as I focus on stuff relevant to Japanese Whisky Blog, but you can get an idea of other Whiskies by checking out the Facebook page or the bars blog.
I cannot recommend Bar Te – Airigh(Bar Cherry) highly enough and it is now my favorite Whisky Bar!

Chichibu ePower HH Mizunara Head #1490 NB Hard Charred #1683 3YO 61.1%abv

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850_8041Nose: Toffee, raisin toast, rhubarb stalks, nutmeg, preserved peaches, red grapes, brandy snaps.
Palate: Raisins, honey, toffee, red grapes, burnt toast, cherry chocolate, vanilla wafers. Water adds Brazil nuts, some hot spices and choc mint.
Finish: Red grapes and vanilla wafers. Longer with water as the hot spices linger but in a controlled way, some citrus tang and choc mint.
Last Word: Not a session whisky but an interesting Chichibu to revisit every now and again. A couple of points better whisky with water added.

Rating: 85/100