Chichibu Taiwan Edition 2020

The 2020 Taiwan Edition from Chichibu introduces Madeira cask maturation alongside Ex-Bourbon, a combination that sets it apart from the single-cask-type expressions that dominate the Taiwan series. Madeira fortified wine casks carry a distinctive profile: rich, oxidative, with dried apricot, fig and a nutty sweetness that complements rather than overwhelms a lighter new make spirit.

Chichibu, the Saitama distillery of Venture Whisky, was founded by Ichiro Akuto in 2008 with an explicit mission to use diverse wood types, and Madeira casks appear occasionally in the catalogue alongside the more common Ex-Bourbon and wine finishes. At cask strength 53.5% for the Taiwanese market, the whisky carries both cask influences in full measure: the bourbon barrel's vanilla and fresh fruit base, layered with the deeper, stickier sweetness and dried-fruit complexity that Madeira wood provides. The combination gives one of the richer profiles in the Taiwan Edition series.