Chichibu 7 Years Old 2014 (SMWS 130.7)

In the Saitama mountains northwest of Tokyo, Chichibu has made malt whisky since 2008 under Ichiro Akuto and his Venture Whisky company. Wide day to night temperature swings drive the wood interaction, which is why Chichibu reads older than its years suggest. Water comes off the Arakawa river system, filtered through the surrounding mountains to a clean mineral balance that lets the fruit and oak show.

This is unpeated single malt, matured in ex-bourbon American oak. Around 7 years in, the fruit esters and the wood have married, and the accelerated ageing gives a depth a Scottish whisky might reach much later. Ex-bourbon vanillin reads as vanilla and oak lactones as coconut. Underneath the wood, the make keeps its clean, fruity core, green apple and stone fruit with a light floral edge.

This bottling was distilled in 2014, from cask 130.7 and bottled in 2021. It is a run of 303 bottles, released for Germany, bottled by Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Releases at this scale sell out quickly, which is part of why Chichibu has become one of the most traded distilleries in the world. At 64.4%, best read neat first, then opened with a little water.