A few months ago I had the honour, together with 5 other lucky ones, of selecting the two new Chichibu Intergalactic single malts. These will be released at the end of this summer and I will be reviewing them around that time as well. But that also reminded me that I still have a few Chichibus open, which I forgot to review and this Chichibu London Edition 2019 is one of them.
The London Edition is since 2018 an annual recurring release, bottled exclusively for the Whisky Show, but a few are sold through the Whisky Exchange after the show. These are then offered via a ballot – which I think is the fairest way to offer a popular limited edition – and this time I was lucky! π
Distilled in 2011, it has matured for about 7 years and it’s bottled at a strength of 48.5% ABV.
Chichibu London Edition 2019 tasting notes:
Nose: a touch of tropical fruits, like melons and mango. It’s creamy, which reminds me of pastry cream. Green apples. A lemon pie with a layer of powdered sugar on top. Vanilla and a hint of honey. Peanuts and a touch of coconut. Later also fresh lemons.
Taste: a really nice oily texture. Quite some honey at first, a hint of vanilla. Followed by fruits. Red apples and lemons, but also oranges. Then quite some spices, such as black pepper, a touch of ginger and cinnamon.
Finish: mid-long to long and it’s slightly drying. With mostly vanilla and lemons, a touch of oak and the same spices as on the palate.
Really good. It’s fruity, has a lovely thick mouthfeel and then a nice kick from the spices. Unfortunately, no tropical fruits on the palate, which I was hoping to find there. But hey, we can’t have it all, can we? π
