Chichibu 8 Years Old 2010 Cask #711 (Hideo Yamaoka)

Chichibu distillery in Saitama prefecture, founded in 2008 by Ichiro Akuto under Venture Whisky, built its early reputation on small-batch, single-cask releases that showcased the distillery's expressive new make. Private Japanese bottlings such as those by Hideo Yamaoka captured casks that rarely left the domestic market, offering a counterpoint to the European independents who were simultaneously discovering Chichibu. This single cask was distilled in 2010, making it one of the distillery's older early releases, and was bottled in 2018.

Eight years in Ex-Bourbon wood has given this cask a developed and layered profile: honey and vanilla from the American oak, milk chocolate and malt extract in the middle, bright citrus keeping it alive, and a coal-gas note that introduces a subtle, earthy complexity alongside the fresh fruit. At cask strength 61.3% it carries real weight and intensity. The Hideo Yamaoka selection makes it a sought-after piece of Chichibu's Japanese domestic history.