The thought has probably crossed every whisky lover's mind - "What if I got my own cask of whisky, now that wouldn't be a bad idea, would it?" If we're being thoroughly honest, that thought probably precedes the frantic searching for the barest qualifiable good reason to get it done, call it a milestone birthday, a wedding, the birth of a child, a business anniversary, heck it might as well be in commemoration of the day I find the right pair of socks in the cupboard - we know the truth.

And if you happen to be one of the rarefied few that actually goes all the way in buying your own cask, the very last thing you want to hear, and something you've probably never even contemplated as a possibility, is to get a call saying that your cask is leaking. Now if a distillery is generous, they might let you pick out another cask, but for the most part, it's a matter of luck and typically follows a "what you see is what you get" sort of modus operandi.

Salud Spirits is a famed Dutch and Austrian distributor that's become known for its highly sought after Chichibu whiskies. It was founded by Maurice and Lieke.

Now that's exactly what happened with famed Dutch and Austrian distributor Salud Spirits. Salud is known for several high profile Chichibu bottlings, belonging to the Intergalactic and 7 Gods of Fortune series, these have been the stuff of envy, and is testament to Salud's strong relationship with Japan's Chichibu Distillery. You don't get nearly this many casks of Chichibu that easily.

And so well underway into its currently ongoing 7 Gods of Fortune series, Salud gets a call from Chichibu saying that one of its cask has leaked. That's said to be exceptionally unusual for Chichibu, but well, it does happen, and with an estimated outturn of under 100 bottles that can be salvaged (the smallest in Chichibu history accordingly), Salud decided that it would too small a release for its series - and so it's been bottled separately under a broader Spirits of Salud series, with the expression titled "Angel's Favourite", a play on the term Angel's Envy, referring to the drop in alcoholic proof as a whisky matures.

When Salud Spirits asked if we'd be keen to try this Chichibu with such lore, we had to say yes! And so here we are with a 2015 Chichibu that's been aged for 8 years, and bottled at 63.5% ABV. This comes from cask #4659, with a total outturn of just 75 bottles - the smallest from Chichibu ever.

Let's go!

Chichibu 8 Year Old, Spirits of Salud: Angels Favourite, Salud Spirits, 63.5% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Bright, with a light citrusy lemon curd aroma that wafts above a fragrance that is half part wildflower honey and half part campfire smoke. More cereal and malt notes comes through after letting the whisky sit for a bit, it reminds me of honeyed golden corn flakes and pressed wheat. More fruits beginning to emerge as well, sliced apples, pears, maltose candy, combining to give candied apples. Florals of dried chrysanthemum flowers weaves in and out. Rounding it off is some freshly cooked honeycomb candy, oatmeal cookies with a dusting of powdered sugar. There's accents of smoke interspersed throughout, again reminiscent of a campfire that's been put out the day before, surrounding by meadows of dried wildflowers.

Taste: Very bright, vibrant, and even stronger on the fruit and malt. Right away, there's zested lemons, key lime pie filling, quickly followed by a medley of pomme fruits - red apples, pears, crab apples, the flavours getting sweeter and sweeter with each development. It's less maltose heavy here, with more on dry wheat cereal, crushed nuts and unsweetened cornflake. Little lovely pops of floral tea, with some lightly steeped jasmine flower tea and honeysuckle tea.  

Finish: Interestingly, that malt flavour develops into a much more meaty and savoury note here. It also deepens, and becomes fuller in mouthfeel and taste - it's giving sweet oatmeal cookies and cooked wheat porridge. A slight savouriness of charred pastry too, like the edges of blondies or wheat crackers. As it develops, it takes a more grassy turn. The smoke is more prominent here too, reminiscent of a smoulder at the end of a charcoal barbeque, somewhat ashy and even a bit of burnt grass. A final touch of lightly medicinal, burnt meadow flowers. 

My Thoughts

This was a bright and malty whisky marked by an incredible development along the way, accented with wafts of smoke. The aromas were particularly complex, twisting and turning each time, with new aromas and flavours before coalescing into an oat and cereal driven flavour.

The palate evolved just as nicely, with waves of bright, zingy and citrusy flavours followed by pomme fruits which make an entrance before making way for a maltier and more toasted profile the longer it dances on the palate. It rounds off with a more heavy and intense comeback - which I particularly enjoyed - of a rather subtle smoke profile that also gave it a light dryness. Perhaps most evocative of all was the picturesque sense of campfire smoulders the day after, surrounded by the countryside meadows. It really takes me away.

Overall, this showcases that Chichibu signature of bright fruits and malt, along with a smokier accent, executed with more vibrance and tension than what we're used to.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot