And with that we now come to the final edition of Salud Spirits' 7EVEN Gods of Fortune series, one that will surely go down in history as a highly prized set of Chichibu's - I'd argue, Chichibu at its prime.

The 7EVEN Gods of Fortune series comes from Dutch and Austrian spirits distributor Salud Spirits - the same folks behind some of the most sought after Chichibu whiskies selected for Europe. The series follows the Japanese folklore of the 7 Gods of Fortune, with each Chichibu expression themed after each God. And this time we've got the final expression of the set - the 7th Edition which pays home to Jurojin, the God of Longevity, Wisdom and Health.

This 8 Year Old unpeated Chichibu expression comes from a single ex-Bourbon barrel filled in 2016 at a solid proof of 63.3% ABV, with just 157 bottles released worldwide.

As with each edition in the series, the bottle is adorned with artwork by digital artist Robbin Snijders from WARBB Studios.

Let's send this acclaimed series off with a final taste test - before we embark on Salud's next series, the Symphony.

Let's go!

Whisky Review: Chichibu 2016, 8 Year Old, Jurojin 7th Edition of 7EVEN Gods of Fortune Series, Salud Spirits, 63.3% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold

Aroma: It opens really firm and quickly blooms to give big scents of pink guavas, really juicy and tropical. Super vibrant. There’s some honey and oat grains at the back giving it this backdrop of richness for the almost multi chromatic pink guava aromas bursting out. With time it becomes more honeyed and alittle more floral of acacia honey, along with more on tinned pineapples and passionfruit all wrapped up in honey and maltose candy. It’s alittle bubblegummy at times, and also shows flecks of the green peels of the pink guava. It’s calling to mind old Bowmore’s and Irish whiskies made in the 90’s.

Taste: Medium-bodied, immediately honey, maltose candy and all that vibrance of pink guavas pop off. It’s concentrated and with great precision and definition, and yet sports this crystalline roundedness. There’s a light savouriness here of charred meats, along with a touch of white pepper too. It’s candied and syrupy around the outlines yet incredibly concentrated. A little bit of herbaceousness here of coriander that’s added to the fold, creating a multi-dimensional profile of tropical fruits, spice, savouriness and herbaceousness. It’s got this bright and glistening lift of pink guava coated in maltose much like a tanghulu candy.

Finish: The savouriness carries through, before trading places with the green guava peels, all whilst still coaxed in maltose candy. Light touches of that white pepper and coriander, all leading to a seamless finish with just some peppery savouriness lingering on. Grilled pink guavas is more like it.

My Thoughts

Wow! Tasted blind you could’ve fooled me - I would’ve completely guessed well-aged Irish whiskies (the sort that’s shooting past 30 years old). It’s so multichromatically vibrant and bursting forth with all those glorious tropical notes of pink guavas. It’s the sort of dazzle that makes it hard to appreciate anything else. But we press on of course, and to that we find more in the way of tinned pineapples and passionfruit all coated in maltose candy, with just this light greenness of guava peels. That’s all then backed up by oak grains and honey (again, incredibly reminiscent of aged Irish whiskies!). Just absolutely beautiful!

On the palate, we’re assured to find that those vibrant pink guavas come through with full saturation. That said, what surprisingly might’ve given those tropical fruits a run for its money was the texture of the body. It’s candied and rounded around the outline, and yet has this concentration at its core. It feels like this Chichibu could’ve been 20 years old or more (yet obviously impossible) - it’s certainly giving well-aged Cognac. There’s a good deal of complexity to be had if you’re not already blinded by the vibrant pink guavas. There’s more in the way of spices, savouriness and herbaceousness that gives it such a colourful character.

That all pulls through the finish, with here the flavours now coming through sequentially instead of all at once. It’s seamless throughout and when all’s said and done, we’re left with grilled pink guavas and a big smile. 

Seems like the folks at Salud might’ve saved the best for last.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot