Chichibu Ichiro’s Malt 11 Years Old 2008

Chichibu Ichiro's Malt 11 Years Old 2008 is a single malt distilled in the year Venture Whisky's Chichibu distillery in Saitama opened and bottled in 2019 at 62.5% cask strength, selected from a single Ex-Bourbon cask for the Japanese market. As one of the 11-year expressions from the distillery's inaugural vintage, it sits at the longer end of Chichibu's American-oak maturation programme for the 2008 distillates.

The noted coal-gas quality, a mineral aromatic that surfaces in certain Ex-Bourbon-matured whiskies at high concentration and extended age, suggests a specific character in this barrel that sets it apart from the softer fruit-led expressions in the same vintage range. Eleven years in Ex-Bourbon oak adds the vanilla and caramel structure typical of Chichibu's American-oak releases, but here the coal-gas note keeps the profile pointed and slightly austere throughout.