Chichibu has added a new expression to its regular core (if you call core, absurdly difficult to get) range, called “The First Ten”, that was released in November 2020. This is its first new core expression since “On The Way” which was launched in 2019. 

(Image Source: Mizunara The Shop)

Before we go on any further, we should clarify a few things.

1. Not all Japanese whiskies are called Yamazaki or Hibiki.
2. Chichibu is not a breed of dog.

Chichibu has been the poster child for Japanese whiskies within the in-the-know circles. So if you have not yet heard about it, PLEASE educate yourself so you won’t look like a fool. You can do this by regularly checking our site for the latest whisky news, features, distillery spotlights and reviews.

Shameless plug aside, this is exciting because Chichibu’s core range so far has only comprised of a handful of bottles most of which are fairly young, yet simultaneously Chichibus (including older ones) have been often spotted and are highly sought after in the wild.

(Image Source: Goh Yan Han, The Straits Times)

To put it simply, there are many limited releases of Chichibus, as these were bottled for specific clients, such as Singapore’s Changi Airport or Takashimaya Japan, these were typically very small batches and thus have become highly sought after. Yet Chichibu itself has not released many bottles for itself, as much of their whisky was marked out for fundraising to keep the distillery alive.

Hence, a 10 Year Old Chichibu tells us that the distillery is likely financially stable and has started to be able to build up its own stock of whiskies that it can now retail under its own name, and not be whisked away for special clients as part of fundraising efforts. This should get fans hopeful that more Chichibus are on the way (who got the joke?).

“The First Ten” is said to have the following tasting notes:

Nose:               Bright and Fruity

Palate:             Smooth Honey-like Palate

Finish:             Long Fresh Green Finish

It is bottled at 50.5% abv and will be limited to 5,000 bottles (we told you the core ranges were still exceptionally hard to get your hands on).

Word has it that some of the barley malt used for “The First Ten” was grown in Chichibu as well.

Well looks good to us, if only we could even get close to smelling it.

We look forward to more releases from Chichibu in the near future!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot