The Chichibu London Edition is one of a series of city-specific releases that Ichiro Akuto has put out over the years, each one a small tribute to a market that took an early chance on his fledgling distillery. London, as anyone who has followed Japanese whisky's rise will know, was one of those cities. British drinkers and British writers championed Chichibu long before the wider world caught on, and this bottle is in some senses a thank-you letter.
It is a limited edition single malt, bottled at 50.5% ABV, with the vatting and cask selection chosen specifically with the London palate in mind. What that means in practice is a whisky that leans towards the classic British love of sherry and honey without ever losing the precise, almost delicate distillery character that defines Chichibu at its best.
The nose is honeyed from the first moment, malted barley drawn forward by orange marmalade and beeswax, and there is a soft curl of wood smoke drifting at the edges that adds an unexpected depth. On the palate it is layered and precise: rich barley sugar, dried apricot, sultana, baking spice, a gentle tannic grip from the oak. Nothing overwhelms, everything is in proportion.
The finish is long and warming, with candied peel and oak holding hands through a slow fade, and that faint smokiness returning at the very end. It is a confident, generous, deeply satisfying Chichibu, and like all of the city editions it has the character of a whisky made with real affection. A bottle to hunt for.
