Taste Testing Japan's Biggest Whisky Festival Chichibu Matsuri's Single Cask Chichibu Japanese Single Malts Through The Ages

Ask any whisky fan what's the must-go whisky festival (or "fes" as it's often abbreviated) in Japan and unanimously you'll hear the Chichibu Whisky Matsuri. Ask any whisky fan what their top three must-go whisky festivals in the world and Chichibu Whisky Matsuri will most certainly be in there. With Japan having probably by far the most amount of whisky festivals - with standouts being Whisky Talk Fukuoka, Whisky Festival Tokyo (and separately the broader Tokyo International BarShow), Whisky Lovers Nagoya and Whisky & Spirits Festival Yokohama - it's worth stating that even in this competitive landscape, but one of them is arguably the most culturally significant and that is... you guessed it, the Chichibu Whisky Matsuri!

Chichibu Distillery.

Now, no prizes for guessing that a big part of this is because of the cult beloved Chichibu Distillery (located in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture) which struck out in 2008 amidst a dearth of craft whisky producers in Japan (or ji-whisky as they are called, Chichibu Distillery was the first new distillery in Japan since 1973), and against all odds, with some of the most illustrious giants in the field, proved that a plucky, young upstart was able to make phenomenal whiskies. Its debut Chichibu The First, released in 2011, would go on to win the Saitama based distillery the title of Japanese Whisky of the Year by Whisky Advocate, with a panoply of awards that would follow in the coming year. Just as well, Chichibu Distillery's coming onto the scene struck at a time when global demand for Japanese whiskies had begun to skyrocket, with the then little small batch distillery's whiskies next to impossible to get hands on. Of course, if this Chichibu mania seemed to happen overnight, well, the reality couldn't be further from the truth. Its legendary founder, Ichiro Akuto, had for long fought to make this dream a reality. 

Ichiro Akuto.

It's a long story, but as it quickly goes, Ichiro-san had been born to a brewing and distilling family, and yet he had never really harboured any intention of getting into the trade himself. Yet one day, Ichiro-san had gotten word that his grandfather's distillery - the now mythical and also demolished Hanyu Distillery - was acquired and the whisky stocks that his grandfather had painstaking made that had been slowly maturing there was to simply be disposed of as its new owners had little interest in a then dying domestic whisky market. Ichiro-san would quickly cobble up a plan to salvage as many barrels of his grandfather's whisky as he could, and would subsequently bottle some of them into the now highly valued Hanyu Cards Series - it was nevertheless completely unwanted at the time, and Ichiro-san had to go door-to-door to sell them to bars. He would eventually gather up enough resources to finally build his own distillery in 2007, which would thus become the very one and only Chichibu Distillery. His acumen and ability to make world class whiskies with what little he had at his disposal was an incredible feat that would challenge all preconceived notions on what was possible, setting a new benchmark for excellence, and perhaps most importantly, would reinvigorate the excitement in fans again - even if you weren't into whiskies, you certainly were now!

The Chichibu Night Festival.

And so as Chichibu Distillery's whiskies became the object of desire for whisky fans around the world, so did Chichibu the area itself become a sort of holy ground for Japanese whiskies, and to a broader extent New World whiskymaking. It became the site at which a spark was created that would set off distillers all around the world, inspiring whiskymaking in numerous countries that had historically never made whiskies before. It became a physical beacon of hope and a tale of perseverance and persistence, of David versus Goliath proportions. And thus the Chichibu Whisky Matsuri, which held its first event in 2014, thereby marking its 10th anniversary in 2024, is intricately linked to the significance of Chichibu Distillery - it's simply impossible to talk about one without the other. For that reason, the Chichibu Whisky Matsuri, whilst it may not be the largest, nor set in the most popular city, is by far and large the most culturally important.

Chichibu Whisky Matsuri.

Held annually in February, the Chichibu Whisky Matsuri follows the area's longstanding tradition of hosting the Chichibu Night Festival that takes place in December the year before, where fireworks and ornate floats are paraded around the Chichibu Shrine. The festivities, which includes music and local foods, celebrates the deities that protect the Chichibu, centering on a local folklore of an annual reunion between the female deity of the Chichibu Shrine and the male deity of the nearby Mount Buko. The festival - which doesn't involve whiskies! - dates back some 350 years, and is not only considered as one of Japan's top three float festivals, but is also recognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event. And so in somewhat similar fashion, the Chichibu Whisky Matsuri which takes place just several months later in the new year, is known for bringing together a wide selection of Japanese whiskies and their associated distillers, independent bottlers and more recently whisky people from abroad. Notably, each Chichibu Whisky Matsuri comes with a specially selected line-up of festival-only limited edition bottlings - which of course, has to include a specially selected single cask bottling of Chichibu Japanese single malt (one of which even won the the World Whisky Awards' Best Japanese Single Cask Single Malt!) and also a Chichibu World Whisky Blend - which as a result draws massive crowds from all around the world who make special plans to attend the event. Given its popularity, getting tickets isn't guaranteed, and aspiring attendees have to even draw lots for it! Ultimately, the festival is always a great chance to catch up with friends far and wide, attend seminars from whisky luminaries, taste a spectacular range of exciting bottlings, win lotteries that come with a chance to buy the festival's bottlings, and of course indulge in the local Chichibu food and culture!

And so this time, we've been incredibly fortunate to get our hands on not one, not two, but four sequential Chichibu Whisky Matsuri Chichibu single cask single malt whiskies! As each year's expression differs in terms of the barley used and maturation cask amongst other things, it'll be a fun exercise to see how the fabled Chichibu single cask single malt bottlings for the Chichibu Whisky Matsuri evolves through the ages!

Let's go!

Whisky Review: Chichibu 2010 Single Cask 10 Years Old, Cask #2636, Oloroso Hogshead, Braemar Barley, 60.0% ABV, bottled for Chichibu Whisky Matsuri 2021, 241 bottles

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep copper.

Nose: Big, rich and rounded, with ripe and dried fruit held in even balance. It opens on a deep sherry sweetness: raisins, figs and dried dark berries, all coated in honey, with a confectionery edge running through. Dark chocolate pulls against the sweetness, and there’s polished antique wood and cigar box underneath that stops the fruit turning jammy. Orange blossom and a touch of cherry blossom drift over a clean wildflower honey and malt backbone, which carries the richness without letting it feel cloying. A faint mineral whisper sits behind it all, a very clean, barely there sulphury note that comes from more active sherry oak, though here it’s well integrated and the whisky still feels smooth. A little liquorice and Hacks herbal candy round it off.

Palate: Rich and layered, with an oily, full mouthfeel. The entrance is dense and powerful: dark chocolate dipped orange peel, dark maraschino cherry, plums, raisins and dark honeyed fruit. Spiced pepper and anise lift it, and a honeyed rancio note runs alongside that reminds me of Chinese salted plum, with a touch of funky overripe guava adding savoury depth. Oak and leather sit underneath for structure, over a faintly earthy graphite tone.

Finish: Long. A touch of dried Chinese salted plum brings some umami, and the dark maraschino cherry carries through as bittersweet cocoa settles in. Oak and tobacco extend into the aftertaste as a dry, gently tannic whisper, with a hazelnut and dried walnut quality behind them. A final touch of minerality in a very light sulphury graphite tone on the back.

My Thoughts

Fantastic complexity and depth of layering. This is a benchmark Chichibu oloroso single cask. The hogshead gives up beautiful dark and dried fruit with plenty of oak spice, yet keeps enough freshness for the distillery character to show through. There’s real generosity and surprising complexity here with that lovely salted plum tone running underneath. But what sets it apart is its balance and elegance that makes for a really accessible and drinkable spirit, with a depth you can’t find in sherry cask whisky today: that thread of minerality and funky tropical fruit that I’d put down to a very gentle touch of sulphur from the cask.

It’s the most compelling sherried Chichibu I’ve had the chance to taste, and among modern whiskies it might still be one of the best examples of Oloroso sherry maturation in single malt, whether Japanese or Scotch, and it punches well above its ten years. One for the sherry connoisseurs!

Whisky Review: Chichibu 2012 Single Cask 9 Year Old, Cask #2080, Refill Hogshead, Concerto Peated Barley, 58% ABV, bottled for Chichibu Whisky Matsuri 2022, 337 bottles

Tasting Notes

Colour: Light gold.

Nose: Balanced and refined, with notes of sweet citrus, malt depths and gentle ashiness, very well integrated. Opens with zesty lemon peel melded with honey, malt candy, ripe red apples and rather refined ashy feel to it. Ash is integrated with a crisp coastal saline minerality, wet stones, and a camphorous and menthol note. There’s also smoked lemon, black pepper, dark chocolate shavings, and a slightly musty aroma of old library books with a sweet lemon candy note. All the while there’s a certain clean malt sweetness, some vanilla and sweet marzipan as a backbone to it.

Palate: Layered, surprisingly refined and quite evolving. It evolves quite a bit from being very refined to bigger flavours. It feels like a great balance of power and restraint. Opening with sweet red apples, sweet maltiness, barley sugars, before the smoke and power hit you in a crescendo: we get smoked lemons, light bonfire, pepper, anise and zesty lemon peels hitting the roof of the mouth with a continued clean maltiness and light leather and very mild lightly bitter dried herbs quality to it. The power and spice very quickly subsides into a clean lightly ashy quality.

Finish: Medium length, clean, on the dry smoke side, smokiness trails off into something more incense and light. Indistinct smoked florals. Light wet rocks and coastal seaweed minerality. There’s a touch of fresh earthiness and empty cigar box aroma.

My Thoughts

Impressively refined smoked stuff from Chichibu again – an elegant peated Concerto barley single cask that drinks much older than it is. It’s nicely layered on the nose and in the mouth it seamlessly evolves from sweet orchard fruits to a crescendo of pepper and ash before quickly subsiding into very mild refined aromatics again. It offers up some of the zestiness and citric and pepper driven power you’d love to see in an old Islay whisky, and the peat is dialled to the right degree for the inherent malt sweetness and fruit to come out.

Whisky Review: Chichibu 2010 Single Cask 12 Year Old Cask #978 Hogshead, Tipple Barley, 62% ABV, bottled for Chichibu Whisky Matsuri 2023 10th Anniversary, 222 bottles

Tasting Notes

Colour: Light copper.

Nose: Creamy, expressive, full of orchard fruits and a malt-forward floral banana and vanilla core. Opens on a floral, fragrant note of white roses, barley sugar and ripe red apples, backed by a clear maltose candy and cereal sweetness layered with puffed pastry and cream topped with cinnamon and nutmeg. There’s honey, toast and a cocoa powder note that continues quite a bit.

Palate: Sweet, creamy, voluptuous. A concentrated, malt-led opening of vanilla, caramel, burnt crème brûlée, with a nicely oily texture. Cereal, soft bananas, ripe apples, peaches and cream coming together, with a light molasses touch, slight burnt toast and cacao coming up.

Finish: Long and evocative with more rich malty cereal tones, a touch of coconut flakes, lots of toasted trail mix nuttiness, leather, light cacao and espresso bitterness, a touch of tobacco box aroma, and a gently smoked floral edge.

My Thoughts

Really phenomenal and decadent. It is super expressive, super rich and lots of density. This showcases the inherent sweetness and creaminess of Chichibu at just 12 years old.

The nose is on the sweeter side with a very clear floral, banana and vanilla identity. The palate is concentrated with stone fruits, and rich with a lovely burnt toast and baked pastries touch to it, along with oak spice and cask-driven savoury notes, and some smoked floral notes.

Whisky Review: Chichibu 2014 Single Cask 9 Year Old, Cask #10410, Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, Concerto Barley, 62% ABV, bottled for Chichibu Whisky Matsuri 2024, 270 bottles

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep copper.

Aroma: Very complex, spiced, driven by tons of dark, oxidative tertiary notes. Opens up front with candied orange peels, Italian bitter orange, roasted walnuts, polished oak, a touch of wet stone minerality. Then behind that you get some dried apricot, dried plums, orange marmalade and a clean malt and cereal driven sweetness. A touch of rancio sweet-savouriness and damp earth. There’s a moderate heat and spice to this: I’m getting camphor, spearmint, pepper and some herbal mint candies. Beautiful sweet florals even when the glass is empty.

Taste: Full-bodied, deep, intense. Opens with honey and tons and tons of dried fruit: figs, dates, plums and candied orange peel, before turning towards cacao, very rich rancio notes, spiced hot chocolate, hot coffee, menthol, pepper, anise felt on the roof of the mouth, then light vellichor and toasted tobacco. Some dried purple florals, dried violet and hibiscus, lightly mineral.

Finish: Very long, dry, spiced and aromatic with new leather, dried plums, dried florals, dark chocolate, finishing touches of pepper and anise, dried apple slices, dried peaches, apricots with a touch of lightly savoury salted peanuts. A touch of smoked heather.

My Thoughts

This is a compelling study in intensity. It’s incredibly layered, super flavourful and intensely syrupy. Really evocative nose with a lot going on. Palate is full-on high intensity and spiced, but with a ton of rich dried fruit tones and rancio to back it up. It continues to evolve in the glass for a bit and it evolves in the mouth forever. It has one of the most layered finishes.

This is as complex as the 2021 festival’s Oloroso single cask, and while the 2021 festival’s Oloroso was on the more elegant  and balanced side, this one’s way more brash, forthcoming, expressive and intense, and much more spirit-forward.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot