Chichibu/Suntory Masterclass - Dram #1 - Chita Grain whisky from Suntory over 17 yo - Tasting Notes

At Maltstock we had the pleasure of taking part in a Masterclass with Chichibu and Suntory. Tatsuya and Yumi presented us with some great cask samples. It all went very fast in the Masterclass and my Japanese is not so good, so asked Yumi afterwards for some additional details on the bottles that they put in front of us. She explained that the whisky from Suntory are components for the Hibiki 17 year old. Great line up and was very educational!

1. Chita Grain from Suntory bottled at 55% (over 17 years old)

2. Chibidaru from Chichibu (distilled 2010, bottled 2014, matured in original Quater cask made from white oak)

3. Hanyu from Hanyu distillery (Vatted bet 1985-2000 Hanyu, matured with some different types of casks)

4. Smoky Hakusyu from Suntory (over 17 years old)

5. Chichibu Mizunara 5y [cask sample] (distilled 2008, bottled 2013, Mizunara hogshead)

6. Suntory Mizunara (Mizunara cask, age over 17 years old) 

Nose
Sweet, honey sweet, rich tropical fruit with light malty note, tobacco, deep rich cherry juices and
bit nutty. With some water added the nose becomes more peaches, apricots, vanilla, raisin and rich fruitcake

Palate
Sweet, spice, pepper, high tobacco note, espresso bitter and almonds. With some water added it becomes more fruity and less nutty bitter.

Finish
Medium length finish with tobacco notes, mint and lemon

Score
7 to 7,5 out of 10. This one needs a bit more time to open up I think. At first the tobacco and nutty notes make it a bit dry & bitter, but becomes more sweeter with some time and water. Nose is definitely more sweeter then the palate. But very nice one! Thanks Tatsuya and Yumi for the great masterclass!