Japanese Whisky Compendium 2022
Japanese Whiskies at the bar... Over the past decade we’ve been watching the evolution of the Japanese Whisky scene with increasing excitement. In particular, we have homed in on set of boutique distillers we believe to be pushing the boundaries of quality and innovation. And, clearly, we are far from alone—the gaze of the world’s Whisky cognoscenti has become fixated on Japan’s every move. We’re now happy to announce that Bibendum Bar has been appointed the official distributor in Australia for Chichibu, Akkeshi and Kanosuke. The whiskies crafted by these new wave distillers—particularly Chichibu which has had a head start—are already seen on the secondary market at eye-watering prices, a paradigm of the oscillation of global supply and demand. While our allocations are currently rather limited, let it be known we are working hard on Australia’s behalf! The following offer includes some releases which we have available intermittently throughout the year, together with some special bottlings from our most recent release, available through our allocations program. If you are a licensed customer and would like to register your interest in further releases, please contact us at orders@bibendum. com.au We also have a limited quantity of Whiskies and other spirits available for retail customers at www.internationalfinewines.com.au
Chichibu The Chichibu distillery has just 14 employees and two small copper pot stills (designed by owner Ichiro Akuto and made by Forsyths in Scotland). The eight 3,000L washbacks (made from Hokkaido Mizunara oak) produce ten batches per week, resulting in approximately 60,000L of new-make—a drop in the ocean compared to that of Japan’s big players. Most of the current production is made from un-peated Norfolk barley, and a new-make using malted barley peated to a mighty Ardbeg-level of 50 ppm from Crisp Maltings. Recently, Chichibu has finished their own floor maltings and begun experimenting with locally grown Japanese winter barley. The team have even started to harvest Japanese peat in preparation for a 100% local peated malt. Thanks to the size of the distillery and Ichiro’s sense of adventure, there have been many experiments with a variety of casks for maturation: ex-Bourbon casks, Sherry hogsheads, French wine barrels and new American oak, as well as casks made from native Mizunara oak (coopered on-site). It’s not always fact that rarity equates to quality, yet that’s certainly the case at Chichibu, where Ichiro Akuto’s faultless technique meets meticulous attention to detail.
Chichibu Chichibu Malt and Grain For Claude Whisky Single Cask #8259 59.7% ABV. This was bottled to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the opening of Japan’s pre-eminent boutique Whisky store, Claude. The blend consists of: Chichibu’s own malt, matured in bourbon barrels and sherry casks; some malt whiskies from Scotland matured for over 10 years; and Kawasaki 33-year-old single grain Whisky distilled in 1982. After blending, it was re-casked in a single bourbon barrel (#8259) and matured for just under three years, then bottled at cask strength. “There is some serious richness from the sherry cask and old Kawasaki single grain whisky...A few drops of water adds a little pepper and ginger warmth, orange and sugared pink grapefruit... Great length. A whisky that leaves an impression of its essence over to the next day. ... I’ve had a number of these Ichiro’s Malt & Grain whiskies and if you have had the white label, premium or this years limited edition blue label this is a big step up in my opinion. You would have to go to one of the Kiyosato Field Ballet bottlings that only have old Hanyu and Kawasaki whisky in the blend to go up a couple of ratings points and they are 10 x or more the price of this one. A rich indulgence.” The Japanese Whisky Review
Chichibu Ichiro’s Malt and Grain Blended Whisky 46% ABV. While the exact source of the material is not published, we know that this is a blend of Japanese distilled material, vatted with Whiskies sourced from around the world, in two 5,000-litre wooden barrels built by French cooper Taransaud. In addition to Whisky from Ichiro Akuto’s own stocks, the blend contains spirits from Canada, the United States, Ireland and Scotland. The imported Whiskies were between three and five years old, aged in their country of origin before being carefully blended with local Japanese material and matured for a further one to three years at Chichibu. Non-chill filtered and non-coloured.
Akkeshi One of the world’s most anticipated new distillery projects, when distillation began in 2016 Akkeshi was the first new whisky distillery to open in Hokkaido for around 80 years. The company’s founder, Toita-san, has set out to recreate the quality and style of his beloved Islay malts, but in Japan. Based in the small fishing town of Akkeshi—chosen as an ideal spot to produce peated whisky because of its environmental similarities to Islay in Scotland, every element of the distillery’s equipment, process and source ingredients has been selected to match Islay’s top distilleries. Even the water used in the production has passed through a layer of peat. Following on from Toita-san’s New Born Foundations concept and the first Akkeshi single malt, Sarorunkamuy, we have received a miniscule shipment of some of the bottlings under Akkeshi’s 24 Sekki series. ‘24 Sekki’ refers to Japan’s 24 divisions of the solar year. The first release was Kanro, a single Japanese Malt, representing the time in Autumn just before the frosts set in when the dew on the ground is still cold, but not yet icy. We now offer Toita-san’s second, fourth, fifth and sixth instalments.
Akkeshi
Shosho Blended Whisky No.4 in the 24 Sekki Series. Shosho means ‘the heat stops’ and represents the 14th of 24 solar terms in the traditional East Asian calendars. Akkeshi’s single malt accounts for more than half of this blend and also includes imported grain Whisky (new-make) aged at the Akkeshi distillery. The average age is four years, mostly drawn from ex-Bourbon casks. Opens with campfire smoke, and plenty of saltiness. Honey, butter, and orange infiltrate the nose, while the palate is bright and fruity; a cacophony of citrus intertwines with a seam of smoke. There’s a pleasant, light bitterness on the finish. Winner: World’s Best Blended Whisky and Best Japanese Blended, 2022 World Whisky Awards
Akkeshi
Usui Blended Whisky No.2 in the 24 Sekki Series. This is the very first blended whisky from Akkeshi and takes in a majority of single malts distilled in Hokkaido, with a complement of imported new-make spirits. All have been aged in Japan for a minimum of three years in a combination of Bourbon, Sherry, Mizunara and wine casks. Usui is the time of snow melt and, fittingly, this bottling is not as heavily peated as previous releases. The nose is mildly reminiscent of the torched sugar on a crème brûlée backed by notes of iodine. This is joined by deeper cacao hints and aromas of citrus and stone fruits. The palate is similar, with slightly intensified citrus notes before a rich, smoky chocolate hit and white pepper spiciness.
Akkeshi Ritto Single Malt Japanese Whisky No.5 in the 24 Sekki Series. Ritto is the season when ‘winter begins’ and the first snows make their presence felt in the northern countries. This bottling is exclusively Akkeshi’s own malt, distilled from locally grown Hokkaido barley in 2018, then matured in Mizunara oak and ex-Pinot Noir cask. This has the classic threads of Akkeshi’s iodine and smoke-wreathed malt, intertwined with fresh vanilla, caramel and a hint of liquorice. There’s a perfect balance of sweetness, saltiness and smoke on the palate. Perhaps reflecting the season, it’s a deeper expression, finishing with a dry grip on the sweet/ savoury length.
Akkeshi Daikan Blended Whisky No.6 in the 24 Sekki Series. Daikan refers to the peak of winter. Akkeshi’s distinctive single malt accounts for more than half of the blend here, compiled with imported grain whisky (new-make) that was aged at the Akkeshi distillery. Aptly, for a wintery dram, this is matured in ex-red wine casks for the heart of the blend, which balances the sweetness gained from ex-Bourbon and Mizunara casks. Still with Akkeshi’s signature salty freshness, the peat here is more reserved. Round, full and warming, there’s plenty of creaminess and chocolate notes to balance the sweet-and-sour citrus. It finishes with a streak of white pepper.
Kanosuke The newly minted Kanosuke Distillery overlooks one of Japan’s largest and most beautiful beaches, a stretch of over 50km of sand dunes at Fukiagehama on the west coast of Kagoshima Prefecture. The region is blessed with an abundance of crystal-clear groundwater, filtered and purified as it runs down the Shirasu Plateau. Although Kanosuke only came into being in 2017, its parent company Komasa Jyozo has been producing unique slow-aged Shochu since 1883. Pioneers in barrel-aged Shochus, Komasa Jvozo’s ‘Mellowed Kozuru’ is celebrated in Japan for its smooth character. Despite the esteem for their Shochu within the country, the distillery was relatively unknown outside Japan, and so Kanosuke (named after its second-generation President) was born to craft a small range of premium Japanese Whisky and Gin. The distillery features three pot-stills. Each of the three stills is individually configured with a different neck shape and lyne arm angle. By using different pot stills for redistillation and blending new make spirits from different stills, Kanosuke aims for rich flavors and aromas. The location—in the deep south of Japan and close to the sea—offers ideal conditions for maturation; mild in summer, but wild and windy at other times of the year, meaning the distillery air is often permeated with sea spray. These conditions contribute to a forward aging process which, combined with the depth of the new make, has critics agreeing that Kanosuke young releases taste far more mature than their age alone would suggest. Like many of Japan’s new generation artisan distilleries, Kanosuke edged into the market releasing some sensational ‘New Born’ bottlings as its stocks matured in cask. These spirits exhibit unusual depth of sweet flavour and smooth, tongue-coating texture alongside emerging house characteristics of citrus and spice. The use of ex-Bourbon and ex-Shochu oak presents a softly sweet personality in the whiskies despite their youth and abv (around 57%), also no doubt due to the experience of a parent company known to produce mellow spirits. The distillery has now released the first and second editions of its Single Malt.
Kanosuke Single Malt 2021 First Edition 58% abv. Crafted using all three of the pot stills at the distillery, this is an unpeated malt distilled in 2018. It has been aged in a combination of oak barrels, ex-Shochu casks (recharred Bourbon oak) providing the key component. The First Edition was blended after at least three years of maturation and bottled at cask strength. Non-chill-filtered with no colouring added. There are plenty of dried fruit and citrus notes on the nose, along with mouth-filling, woody spice and raisin butter on the palate. The finish has the bittersweet nature of chocolatecovered candied orange peel, lifted by a soft sea breeze note. Overall, the standout impression is a wonderful mellowness and length of flavour.
Kanosuke Single Malt 2021 Second Edition 57% abv. Kanosuke’s Second Edition was drawn from the same 2018 distillation as the first, however, for this bottling, the Whisky was aged in predominantly first-fill ex-Bourbon cask, with a smaller ratio of ex-Oloroso Sherry casks. The blend was then re-casked to rest and integrate in ex-wine casks. Non-chill-filtered with no colouring added. As you would expect, there is significantly more Bourbon influence here than in the First Edition: waves of vanilla glide alongside caramel, cola and oak spice. It has a sweet, honeyed richness that runs through the palate, again exhibiting unusual depth of flavour, Kanosuke’s trademark smooth, tongue-coating texture and the emerging house characteristics of citrus and spice. Winner: Gold and Regional Category Award, 2022 World Whisky Awards
Chichibu Distillery
1300 6120 919 orders@bibendum.com.au bibendum.com.au