{"product_id":"chichibu-2015-single-bourbon-cask-5494-chichibu-day-festival-exclusive-spirits-shop-selection-taiwan-japanese-single-malt-whisky-2022-70cl","title":"Chichibu 2015 Single Bourbon Cask #5494 Chichibu Day Festival Exclusive Spirits Shop Selection Taiwan Japanese Single Malt Whisky (2022) 70cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eChichibu 2015 Single Bourbon Cask #5494 Chichibu Day Festival Exclusive Spirits Shop Selection Taiwan Japanese Single Malt Whisky (2022) 70cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 of 183 bottles produced from a single bourbon barrel exclusively for Chichibu Day 2022 in Taiwan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Chichibu Festival in Saitama Prefecture boasts a history of over 300 years and is one of the largest festivals in the Kanto region. A major feature of this festival is the magnificent giant float, decorated with lanterns, gilded wooden carvings, and paintings of wild animals and mythological figures, which parades along the route to the sounds of taiko drums and flutes. It attracts large crowds every year. The 2022 Taiwan-exclusive single cask features the festival floats that parade during the day and night as the label design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTASTING NOTES\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cspan dir=\"auto\"\u003eAroma: Honey, vanilla ice cream, peach\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cspan dir=\"auto\"\u003eTexture: Caramel, biscuit, citrus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\"\u003e\n\u003cspan dir=\"auto\"\u003eFinish: Long; warm spices, bitter dark chocolate, rum-like sugarcane notes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Chichibu\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChichibu is a Japanese whisky distillery located in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Operated by Venture Whisky Ltd., the distillery was established in 2007 and began production in 2008. It is one of three distilleries owned by Venture Whisky, whose principal brand is Ichiro's Malt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVenture Whisky was founded in 2004 by Ichiro Akuto for the purpose of commercializing Ichiro's Malt, a whisky produced from the remaining stock of the Hanyu Distillery, which had been owned by Toa Shuzo Co., Ltd., the Akuto family's company, until its sale that year, as well as to eventually produce whisky at a distillery of its own. This plan later took shape as the Chichibu Distillery. Chichibu Distillery was the first distillery in Japan in 35 years to receive a new whisky production license from the government, and its success contributed to the revitalization of the Japanese whisky industry, leading to the establishment of new distilleries across the country\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2019, the Chichibu Daini Distillery began operations, located 600 meters from the original Chichibu Distillery. Its first single malt, Chichibu Distillery II, was released in 2025. The production capacity of the Daini Distillery is five times that of the original facility, and its pot stills employ direct firing instead of steam-based indirect heating, while its fermentation tanks are made of French oak rather than mizunara.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA unique characteristic of Chichibu is the use of locally grown barley and the pure water from the surrounding mountains, which contribute to the exceptional quality of their whisky. The distillery combines traditional techniques with innovative approaches, including the use of a wide variety of casks, including ex-bourbon, sherry, and Japanese Mizunara oak. This results in complex and refined flavour profiles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChichibu whiskies are known for their rich and versatile character, with notes of vanilla, fruit, spice, and sometimes a subtle smokiness. The attention to detail and craftsmanship of Ichiro Akuto and his team are reflected in the international recognition and awards their whiskies have received.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2025, the Tomakomai Distillery is scheduled to begin operations in Tomakomai, Hokkaido. It will produce grain whisky using a Coffey still and will increase overall production by blending it with malt whiskies from the two Chichibu distilleries, with the aim of expanding sales outside Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBetween 2017 and 2025, whiskies such as Chichibu Whisky Festival 2017 and Ichiro’s Malt \u0026amp; Grain Blended Japanese Whisky, both produced with stock from the Chichibu Distillery, received the World’s Best awards in their respective categories seven times at the World Whiskies Awards organized by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhisky Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn March 2024, Whisky Magazine inducted Akuto into its Hall of Fame, making him the fifth Japanese figure to receive this honor. He was selected for establishing the first new whisky distillery in Japan in 35 years and becoming a leading figure in the Japanese whisky industry. The magazine cited his efforts to revive production techniques that had been fading during a period of industry stagnation, his technical innovations, his multiple award-winning whiskies, and his contributions to strengthening brand standards and improving the quality of Japanese whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChichibu has grown to be the 3rd most popular brand of whisky although some may argue it is the most popular as it sells out the quickest for the releases it churns out pound for pound with the hardest place to obtain it, being Japan itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*due end March 2026\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e61.7% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chichibu","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52792512446802,"sku":"CHICHI15SC5494SSS","price":649.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Chichibu2015SingleBourbonCask_5494ChichibuDayFestivalExclusiveSpiritsShopSelectionTaiwanJapaneseSingleMaltWhisky_2022_70cl.jpg?v=1771973301","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/chichibu-2015-single-bourbon-cask-5494-chichibu-day-festival-exclusive-spirits-shop-selection-taiwan-japanese-single-malt-whisky-2022-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}