Japan's almighty Chichibu is now in its 16th year - a momentous occasion and a journey that has inspired many craft distillers from all around the world.

To celebrate, Chichibu is back with the 4th Edition of its popular On The Way expression, which the distillery describes as maintaining its perspective and "always shows our passage towards the future".

The new Chichibu On The Way Floor Malted 2024 Edition is described as being "with fruitiness, hints of glossy plums and peaches", with the Floor Malting process giving the expression rustic barley flavours that are also nostalgic and leads to a gentle and long finish.

The 2024 Edition will be bottled at 54.5% ABV, with 12,000 bottles released.

The last time we saw the On The Way expression from Chichibu was in 2019, and prior to that 2013 and 2015, were the other two occasions. Yet this 4th Edition is special for its combination with floor malting, which has in the past been another Chichibu expression on its own.

Floor malting is the traditional process of allowing steeped wet barley grains to be laid across smooth concrete floors to germinate and undergo the malting process, which will take place over 4-5 days on average. In the period where the barley is malting, it will be turned either by hand or machine every several hours to prevent roots from growing and forming a mat. This is a laborious and effort intensive process that some distillers believe can create a more rustic, robust and nuttier flavour in the whisky made. It also requires an accurate judgement of when the barley has been malted to an optimal sugar level before it is then kilned.

Typically industrial box malting is more common, where barley is malted in large containers that are mechanically tossed.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team