Chichibu Unveils 4 Single Casks For 2026 With Japanese Design Giant Kazumasa Nagai

By now, fans of Chichibu are well acquainted with La Maison du Whisky's rather pleasing ritual of releasing four Chichibu single cask expressions in its annual catalogue adorned with labels from prominent Japanese artists.

The 2026 quartet hands the labels to someone behind some of the most iconic Japanese graphic designs of recent memory, Kazumasa Nagai. This collab comes on the heels of earlier partnerships with big names such as Kunihiko Moriguchi - known for his yūzen kimono dyeing (2024 catalogue), and aluminium sculptor Yoshiya Hongo (2025 catalogue).

Poster created by Nagai for Ueno Zoo, 1993.

The late Kazumasa Nagai is an Osaka-born graphic designer who co-founded the Nippon Design Center and created more than a thousand posters over his career. His work moved between tightly controlled geometric compositions, engravings, silkscreen printing and motifs of animals and plants for which he became nationally and internationally renowned.

His identity work can be seen in the official mark of the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, the logos of Asahi Breweries, Japan Agricultural Cooperatives and Mitsubishi.

Cask-influence-wise, this year appears to be the most purist for malt lovers. All four whiskies are Bourbon barrel maturations. Here's a closer look at each of the new releases from the series:

Chichibu 8 Years Old 2017 Bourbon Barrel, 63.3% ABV

Japanese Single Malt, Single Cask #7966, First Fill Bourbon Barrel, Limited Edition of 192 bottles, LMDW exclusive

The quartet begins with the clearest view of unpeated Chichibu spirit. Made with Odyssey barley and matured in first-fill Bourbon barrels, this works with citrus, fresh walnut, white florals and vanilla.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Bright gold.

Aroma: Lively, precise. Full-bodied, the aroma palette oscillates between citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit), fresh walnut, wildflower honey, noble spices (cardamom, star anise), and white flowers (lily of the valley, lilac). With aeration, subtle vanillic and mentholated fragrances emphasize the quality of perfectly integrated oak.

Taste: Dynamic, dense. Taking up the deliciously vanillic and mentholated character of the aroma palette, it is also marked by zucchini fritter and artichoke flavours. Suggestive and natural, it then propels us into the middle of a barley field swept by sea winds.

Finish: Characterful, silky. An accomplished synthesis of nose and palate, it proves at once finely tannic (barley grain), verdant, and resinous (pine, Vosges candy). On the retro-olfaction and in the empty glass, fragrances of musk, barley gruel, dried flowers, and oak stave compete in intensity.

Chichibu 7 Years Old 2018 Peated Bourbon Barrel, 65.5% ABV

Japanese Single Malt, Single Cask #10902, Refill Peated Bourbon Barrel, Limited Edition of 188 bottles, LMDW exclusive

Next up we have a 7-year-old refill peated Bourbon barrel. The Odyssey-barley malt spirit was matured in a refill Bourbon barrel that had previously held peated whisky.

LMDW reaches for artisanal mezcal as its flavour reference, with eucalyptus, burning cigar, agave, mineral smoke, green pepper influences.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Bright gold.

Aroma: Fine, characterful. Exhaling very pleasant fragrances of eucalyptus, cypress, and burning cigar, the aroma palette also shines through its abundant fruitiness (lime, green apple, almond). With aeration, it becomes ever more medicinal (balm), ashen, camphorated, and mineral (slate).

Taste: Lively, noble. Nimbly wrapped in a diaphanous smoke, the flavour palette first unfolds agave flavours that evoke a great mezcal. Then, it returns smoothly to malty (barley gruel) and liquorice-toned territory. Over time, fresh fruits (apple, greengage plum) release a fresh juice that spreads around the perimeter of the palate.

Finish: Taut, elegant. Mentholated, verdant (cut hay, alfalfa), and empyreumatic (embers, rubber), it intensely restores the eucalyptus and lime fragrances of the initial nose. On the retro-olfaction, scents of green pepper and charcoal match to perfection with barley water syrup and green olive flavours.

Chichibu 8 Years Old 2017 Heavily Peated Bourbon Barrel, 63.9% ABV

Japanese Single Malt, Single Cask #8253, First Fill Bourbon Barrel, Limited Edition of 192 bottles, LMDW exclusive

Made from heavily peated Concerto barley for 8 years in first-fill Bourbon barrel, LMDW compares its oily, iodine-heavy peat with Laphroaig, while also calling to mind sea spray, camphor, soot and medicinal notes.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep golden yellow.

Aroma: Rich, full. An oily, rich, and earthy peat initially permeates an aroma palette that is otherwise saline and iodine (sea spray). With aeration, chocolaty, spicy (nutmeg, clove), and medicinal (camphor, gum arabic) scents heighten the sense of power emanating from it.

Taste: Lively, full-bodied. After a first lemony sequence, compact blocks of peat wash ashore over the entire palate. Become more country-like (dandelion) and engorged with mineral salts, the flavour palette now lets smooth liqueur-like and fruity (acacia honey, pineapple) flavours express themselves fully.

Finish: Smooth, dense. Adorned with more animal (bacon, smoked bacon), empyreumatic (soot, lava), rooty (ginger, radish), and chocolaty nuances, the peat has gained further in smoothness and indulgence. An evolution confirmed by a retro-olfaction that is both vanillic and deeply malty (porridge).

Chichibu 12 Years Old 2013 Bourbon Barrel, 59.9% ABV

Japanese Single Malt, Single Cask #2874, Refill Bourbon Barrel, Limited Edition of 162 bottles, LMDW exclusive

This is the oldest Chichibu of the quartet. Matured in a second-fill Bourbon barrel, the 12-year-old keeps the cask influence restrained with delicate nuances of flowers, cut hay, citrus and spice.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep golden yellow.

Aroma: Lively, deep. Particularly spicy (pepper, clove), herbaceous (cut hay, clover), and floral (iris, carnation), the aroma palette ventures with enthusiasm into the realm of certain great white wines such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Cassis and into the world of sake. Then, polish fragrances (wax) emphasize its heady character.

Taste: Clean, taut. Simultaneously honeyed (acacia), saline, lemony, and supported by a sapid malty bitterness, the flavour palette is a model of balance. Refreshed by various infusions (rosemary, sage, green tea, it is gradually elevated by blonde tobacco flavours of great nobility of expression.

Finish: Characterful, concentrated. Pastoral and spring-like (field flowers, cut grass), it also reveals itself juicy (yellow melon, roasted pineapple) and indulgent (candied grape, fruit paste). Gradually, grated ginger, oregano, and nutmeg lend much nobility to a dynamic finish.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team