Chichibu 2012 – Peated (LMDW)

Chichibu in Saitama is best known for unpeated, fruit-forward new make, but the distillery has always maintained a peated programme, distilling a proportion of heavily smoked spirit each season. This 2012 single cask was selected by La Maison du Whisky for the French market, drawing on that peated stock for an expression that shows a different facet of Ichiro Akuto's distillery.

Six years in an Ex-Bourbon barrel tempered the peat without erasing it, allowing wood-derived vanilla and barley sweetness to sit alongside the smoked character. At 62.9% cask strength, the delivery is concentrated and assertive, with the smoke playing a supporting rather than dominant role against the distillery's typical fresh-fruit brightness. The bourbon seasoning adds a light caramel structure that rounds the finish without softening the spirit's directness.