Whisky Ramblings Via Video #86
Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, visited a whisky festival in Belgium, exclusively for Independent Bottlers. They have an important role to play in the whisky world. Mark made a little video impression of the festival.
New Chichibu and the final card – Hanyu The Joker
Ichiro Akuto
Around two hours’ drive north-west of Tokyo, near the city of Saitama, is the largely mountainous town of Chichibu and the home of Chichibu distillery – Japan’s youngest. Although Ichiro Akuto only started planning this distillery in 2007, he and his family have a long tradition of producing alcohol and – more recently – whisky in Japan. The Akuto business dates some 400 years, when they started making sake in the Chichibu area. In 1941, Ichiro’s grandfather set up a new headquarters in Hanyu city and gained a whisky-making licence in 1946. It wasn’t until the 1980s, however, that they started to make a serious attempt at making single malt whisky, and thus Hanyu was born.
At this point they were still making sake, and with single malt whisky much less in demand than blended, in 2000 he decided that it was best to stop distilling altogether. In 2004, Ichiro’s father sold the company to new owners who were not interested in making whisky. The stills and distilling equipment were destroyed and, had Ichiro not stepped in, the whisky – some of it 20 years old – would have been disposed of. Thankfully, he managed to retain all of these lovely casks and stored them in a warehouse.
A year on and he released his first bottles from these casks. As the Hanyu name now meant very little, seeing as it no longer owned the distillery, Ichiro decided to call his new range Ichiro’s Malt. The first release was a 1988 single malt of just 600 bottles, which took two years to sell out. When making this first bottling, Ichiro teamed up with a designer friend to create a label – his suggestion was a playing card, and Ichiro instantly fell in love with the idea. The initial design was well received, and Ichiro decided to make a further 53 whiskies, with this evening’s final Joker whisky being the 54th card in the series.
A few of the Hanyu Cards
Ichiro has picked up a lot of experience over the years through working not only for Suntory, but also a period at Karuizawa in 2006 and further year at Benriach in 2007. He then returned to Japan to the town of Chichibu, where his new distillery had finally been made, and in February 2008, he started distilling. Production is small in comparison to many other distilleries: he can only mill 400g of barley at one time, his mash tun is a mere 2,400 litres and his eight beautiful mizunara washbacks are just 3,000 litres. By comparison, Balvenie’s 10 washbacks are 50,000 litres each and Bowmore’s mash tun is 38,582 litres. He was also rather pleased with his two ‘small, short and straight’ spirit stills, both with a downward-pointing lyne arm.
Such is the attention to detail and precision of the running of Chichibu that Ichiro and his team travel to Scotland each year to make their own malt which is done the traditional way by floor malting. The malt is made in Scotland and the finished product sent to Japan. Barley is being grown near the distillery, however, and the company is in the process of making a floor malting, as well as using a Japanese variety of barley, which is machine malted, to make whisky, which is currently sitting in casks. Hopefully it’s not too long before we see this in a bottle.
But on to the whiskies!
Nose: Lovely and fruity, packed with red cherries, summer berries (red), quite light with some roasted cereal notes and a malted character. Dave Broom joined us for the evening to present the whiskies and he also picked up crème caramel and white chocolate.
Palate: Quite light in texture, red fruits coming through as with the nose, but with a floral lift to them. Although it starts light, this one develops in the mouth, gets chunkier and develops a lovely weight. Those toasted cereal notes are there also, with some granola thrown into the bowl. This time I can spot the white chocolate – or did Dave put that flavour in my mind? With water added, the chocolate character becomes much more prominent and takes over the fruit as the leading role.It becomes oilier, rounded and has a much better texture to it which feels a little more balanced.
Finish: A lovely finish that’s long lasting. There’s cereal, granola, pannacotta, and coffee going on but it remains gentle and comes through with a touch of sweetness.
Comment: This comes to life with water. Ichiro bottles his range at varying strengths, specific to each whisky. For me, this is a little too strong on its own, but with just a tiny drop of water it becomes soft, rounded and has that lovely cereal character with a subtle chocolate undertone.
This whisky starts its life in ex-bourbon casks and matures in them for two years before being transferred into portpipes for the final year.
Appearance: I don’t often comment on the colour or appearance of whiskies but I just had to mention this one. It has an onion-skin colour with a pink hue, almost reminiscent of Tavel rosé wine.
Nose: There’s a lovely spicy character to this one and the colour of the whisky comes through onto the nose. I’m getting pink flowers, cranberry, rhubarb, Turkish delight (rose), some gentle red fruits and lovely sweet spice.
Palate: Dried cranberry, raspberry, touch of tannins, lots of fruit, rose petals, floral, and slightly hot on the tongue. With water, raspberries begin to dominate. Still some tannins present and a herbal note lurking in the background. It’s gentle, soft, sweet and something like a red-apple-skin flavour going on.
Finish: Quite hot, but the fruit lingers much longer than the alcohol, bringing a sweet and spicy character.
Comment: Really fruity and fresh for a port finish. I often find these styles have a clawing, musty character which is nowhere to be seen in this one. It’s surprisingly like its colour, too – lots of pink and red fruits.
Time for a short lesson in Japanese. Chibi is Japanese for small, and daru means cask. Can you guess what’s unique about this one yet? It’s aged in a quarter cask. There is a small difference to this one however. To make these casks, they chop both sides off a traditional 225l barrel (leaving just the middle section) and put new ends on. The new barrels are small and dumpy like cigars in appearance and don’t have the sloping sides and small ends you would find on a traditional quarter cask. This technique actually came about by accident – as is often the way with many things whisky related. Ichiro didn’t have a cooperage nearby that could make quarter casks, and when some of his standard casks developed a leak, he chopped the ends off and put new ends on – hey presto, he had made his own quarter casks. The cask for this one is ex-bourbon but with new heads – which will be much larger than those on a traditional quarter cask.
Chichibu now has a cooperage on site, headed up by a 97-year-old cooper who previously owned the (now closed) local cooperage before retiring. He now comes to the distillery to train new coopers, although sometimes he doesn’t show up for work if it’s quite hot. Or if it’s raining…
Nose: Lots of caramel, toffee, stone and orchard fruits, notably nectarines and ripe peach, roses and some scented Japanese spices in the background along with marzipan.
Palate: Toffee, caramel, slightly sweet, lovely creamy texture, bold and quite rich, very forward, ripe Braeburn apples, nectarine, ripe peach, coconut, strawberry bootlaces, wild thick-set honey, menthol.
Finish: Caramel, sweetness, peach, creamy and that menthol note comes out a bit more.
Comment: Seriously rich, sweet and fruity. There’s a lovely thick-set honey flavour on the palate and a light lift on the finish.
I like the name of this one. Ichiro starting distilling whisky at Chichibu in 2008 and On The Way was bottled in 2013 containing a portion of his oldest, five-year-old whisky, along with other barrels distilled between 2008 and 2010. In essence, Chichibu is on its way to bottling a straight five year old, but it’s not quite there yet. Each individual cask that goes into this, much of it his Floor Malted, starts its life in an ex-bourbon cask before spending a final year in mizunara wood.
Nose: Beautiful. Sweet spice, mint, cut grass, green, herbal, fennel, anise, floral, less fruity than the others, but there is some pear or apple maybe in there.
Palate: Sweet, oily, thick and spicy. Lots of exotic fruits such as papaya, mango, lychee and guava, full of heat and that herbal note is back. With water this remains rich but becomes creamier and an incense flavour comes into play and pushes the tropical fruits into the background. It’s not strong incense, however, it’s more akin to standing near a Buddhist temple; you know that somewhere nearby there is incense burning, but it’s softer and less pungent.
Finish: Sweet spice, incense, temples and a firm grip with some tannin.
Comment: The use of mizunara really brings this one out. Without water, it’s bold and full of tropical fruit, but just a tiny drop of water and the mizunara comes to play and that incense character shoots into the limelight.
Nose: I’m back on Islay, stood by the shore between two distilleries and there is a smoked-meat festival taking place behind me on top of the hill. Or, more simply, I’m getting peat, brine, salty sea air, smoked sausage, cut grass, a garden bonfire, wood smoke and smoked ham.
Palate: Smoked meats again – ham and sausage – green fruits, bonfire, ash, full of smoke, waxy and very big in the mouth. There’s a serious punch of heat coming through here which is intensified by the smoke.
Finish: Summer bonfires and smoked meats.
Comment: This is big and punchy. It feels a little less complex than the other whiskies, with just smoke and smoked meat coming through for me – but that certainly doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good. A great winter-evening dram.
Slightly paler than the previous peated whisky, Ichiro has increased the peating levels and abv for this bottling. For me, the difference is huge.
Nose: Full, clean, much more restrained and elegant than the older bottling. The smoke, brine, grassy notes are all still there but they seem much more integrated.
Palate: Elegant, creamy, well-balanced alcohol, vanilla, brine, white peach, apple, scented aromatic spices. Delicious.
Finish: Soft, delicate smoke and white fruits. I finished off my notes here with ‘divine’.
Comment: The difference between these two bottling is quite vast. He’s taken something that was good and taken it up several levels. It’s interesting to note that even with a higher level of alcohol and peating, there is much more restraint in this one and it’s balanced. All the flavour and power is there, but it approaches you slowly and woos you, it doesn’t need to do anything fancy, no chat-up lines required – it sits back and lets you fall in love with ease.
So, here we are, the final card in the series: The Joker(s). For his final card, Ichiro has released two Jokers; the first, a vatting of 14 casks over six vintages of Hanyu from 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991 and 2000. The casks types for this are sherry butt, puncheon, hogshead, Cognac, chibidaru, Madeira hogshead and bourbon; 3,640 bottles of this were made. The second Joker has a monochrome label and much rarer – sadly we didn’t get to try this one, although this is not surprising given that this is just one cask from 1985 and only 241 bottles have been made.
Appearance: Dark caramel, copper/amber
Nose: Soft caramel, polished brass, fragrant wood, cedar, so much depth. It’s waxy, rich, concentrated, stewed dried prunes and dates, bitter orange peel (dried), pink peppercorns, old leather. Given a bit more time to open up in the glass, a floral note kicks in, with some rose petals and Turkish delight in the background.
Palate: Caramel, it starts quite soft, almost retrained, and slowly develops on your palate. There’s no big hit; it just slowly offers more and more over time. There’s ripe red and black fruits, blackberry, prune, fig, bitter orange peel, it’s rich but subtle. Grapefruit and dried citrus peel come forward after time.
Finish: Seriously long. It’s warm, with that bitter citrus peel backed with blackberry, fig, and a subtle woody note.
Comment: This doesn’t scream at you, it introduces itself and lets you get acquainted. It starts out slightly shy and opens up over time. Once you get to experience all that it has to offer, though, you won’t be upset. This has so much going on, and each time I revisited it, I was welcomed by a new aroma and taste, with each one was as delicious as the next.
As always, our thanks go out to Akuto-san and Dave Broom for hosting such a fantastic evening.
You can read more about Chichibu in Tim’s post from when he visited, and you can sign up to receive an email when the new Chichibus and the Joker are available on the following links: Chichibu On The Way, Chichibu Peated 2013 and Ichiro’s Malt – The Joker. They should be available by mid-May.
Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – New Chichibu and the final card – Hanyu The Joker
Daft Mill Distillery – interview with Francis Cuthbert, by Paul McLean
Q; The Cuthbert family have grown malting barley for the whisky industry in the Howe of Fife for six generations. WHO does what for the whisky production? And when do you do it? A; We operate on a seasonal basis, during spring we are busy on the farm. We start distilling in early June till Early August when we stop for Harvest. Distilling resumes in Nov through to Feb. I do most of the distilling myself, sometimes we have a summer student.
Q; WHEN do you work on the farm? And what do you grow/stock? A; We grow Barley of course, potatoes, carrot, broccoli and grass on the farm. We have a herd of beef cattle.
Q; I HAVE FARMERS IN MY FAMILY in Ireland, I know how time consuming it is, what made you think of building a distillery? A; Our plan is to add value to the barley we grow
Q; WHEN did you get the license? A; 2003 we applied for planning permission to turn the old mill buildings, which date back to Napoleonic times, into a distillery. The license to distil was granted by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs on St Andrews Day 2005 and the first whisky was produced on 16th December 2005, making Daftmill the newest distillery to open in Scotland at that time.
Q; Who built the distillery? A; We tried to ensure that the project was an entirely local affair and were keen to see that all the work was carried out, where possible, by people living close by to the farm. Apart from the copper stills, which were made in Rothes, we ensured all the work has been carried out by people within a five mile radius of the farm. We use local tradesmen who have worked for us in the past so we knew the quality of work they did. The local Joiner, roofer, stone maison, steel fabricator, electrician, welder, painter ect all did a great job for us.
Q; WHAT style of whisky are you distilling? A; The whisky produced is not only made from malting barley grown on the farm, but is also made using water from Daftmill’s own natural spring. Our aim is to produce a classic light fruity floral lowland style of malt. In addition, nothing is wasted in the distilling process as spent grains, “draff”, is fed to cattle on the farm, effluent produced is used as a fertiliser and hot water is pumped into the farm’s duck pond, which ensures that the surface does not freeze over during the winter.
Q; unpeated V peated, do you have any preferences for your own brands? A; All our whisky so far is made from unpeated malt.
Q; WHY the “daft” name? A; Because of the local topography the stream appears to run uphill! So local people called this backward-running burn the “Daft” Burn. Inevitably, the mill that it powered became known as “Daft Mill”.
Q; WHEN do you think the first bottle will be sold? A; Scotch whisky has to be at least three years old before it can be sold. At Daftmill we anticipate that our whisky will be at least 10 years old before coming to market. We use bourbon casks from Heavenhill Distillery in Kentucky
Q; WHAT is the annual total litres distilled? A; it can vary from year to year but we aim to do about 20,000 litres a year
Q: DO YOU have any idea what a bottle will cost? A; not yet
Q; do you have any “special” whisky coming soon? A; It will all be special!
Q; any major plans/announcements coming soon? A; Not that I know of.
Paul McLean; www.mcleanscotland.com www.angelswhiskyclub.com
Depending on your dates and numbers in party, we can take you here for a tour with Francis.
Along with tours to many other Scottish and Irish distilleries – whisky tastings, whisky dinners and whisky schools – all bespoke.
Silent Distillery Profile; Dallas Dhu (Dallas Doo)
by Lawrence Graham
Operational: 1899, silent from 1929-36 and from 1939-47
Closed: 1983 and the last cask filled on March 16th, October 1983
Region: Speyside (Findhorn)
Last Operational Owner: Scottish Malt Distillers, a subsidiary of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL).
Current Owner: Historic Scotland
Address: Mannachie Road, Forres, Morayshire, IV36 2RR
The original meaning of the name “Dai leas dubh” means “Field by the Black Water fall” or “BlackWaterValley”, although some accounts list the Gaelic name as “Dalais Dubh”. William de Ripley (1165-1215) was given lands on Dallas, Scotland by King William the Lion. The distillery was briefly known as “Dallasmore” and the distillery was for a time served by the now defunct Forres to Avimore rail line. In it’s time the output from the Dunnage warehouses contributed to the blends of Roderick Dhu and Benmore.
The construction of the distillery was commenced in 1898 on the estate of Alexander Edward of Sanquhar who was a prominent Speyside distiller. Early on (sometime in 1898 or 99) Edward sold the rights to the distillery to the blending firm Wright & Greig Ltd of Glasgow and the architect was the famed Charles Doig.
In 1921 after one other owner (JP O’Brian & Co) the distillery was sold to Benmore Distillers Ltd, an English consortium who also owned Benmore and Lochhead distilleries in Campbeltown and Lochindaal distillery on Islay and in 1929 DCL took over Benmore Distillers.
On April 9th, 1939 a fire destroyed the still house and much of the equipment however later in 1939 the still house was rebuilt. The distillery was extended in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Electricity did not reach Dallas Dhu until the 1950’s and the water wheel still contributed to the power pool into the 1970’s.
At the same time in 1983 that Dallas Dhu was closed by the Distillers Company Limited, they also closed Banff, Brora, Glen Albyn, Glen Mhor, Knockdhu, NorthPort and St. Magdalene.
Dallas Dhu has been operated as a non working distillery museum by Historic Scotland since 1988 and also includes a shop, picnic area and refreshments. The tour is in the self guided audio-visual style and full details including open times can seen at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk .
The water source for the distillery was the Altyre Burn which is known locally as the Scourie Burn.
Sadly, the license to distill was returned in 1992 however visitors comment that the distillery looks like it could start production anytime as all the plant and equipment are in place.
Sources; Scotch Missed by Brian Townsend, The Scottish Whisky Distilleries by Misako Udo, The Scotch Whisky Industry Record by Charles Craig, The Whisky Trails by Brian Townsend and our very own Charles Mclean writing in the Mitchell Beazley Pocket Guide “Scotch Whisky”.
Dallas Dhu Historic Scotland
This article was originally published on the Malt Maniacs and is reprinted here with permission of the author.
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www.ralfy.com visits India and expresses some controversial opinions with Whisky Review 451 – Amrut Port & Peated Single Cask
Whisky Magazine’s July issue throws a spotlight on Canada, investigating some of the exciting new directions being taken by Canadian distillers and profiling the country’s top five whiskies. Moving to Scotland, we explore the islands of Islay and Jura, revealing the little known connections that these islands’ notable distilleries have to George Orwell, The First World War and Jazz, and providing a guide to the best places to stay and visit. Also included with the July issue is our annual guide to the Great Whiskey Bars of the World – an essential pocket book to help whiskey-lovers find the best drams wherever they go.
It will be followed on the 12th September by our US Special, drawing the attention of Whiskey connoisseurs the World over to the latest developments in US distilling, ageing and drinking. Reviews include a look at a wide range of whiskies from the US, providing plenty for readers to explore. From the other side of the Atlantic, we also take a look at Scandinavian whiskey and how the country has become one of the World’s key producers.
Editorial Features
Issue No.120
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Whisky Travel: Islay and Jura
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Publication Date: 25th July
Issue No.121
Special Features
Whisky Travel: Scandinavia
Special Features: A focus on a wide range of whiskies from across the US.
Special Distribution from the Kentucky Bourbon Festival
Publication Date: 12th September
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH
The Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky range has always offered a wide range of flavours with its variety of wood finishes including Sherry, Bourbon and, more recently, Virgin Oak.
Along with our new 14 Year Old Port Wood Finish, we are delighted to announce the addition of a 1988 Vintage expression to our core range. This expression will be released in batches.
The contents have been vatted from a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Port casks.
THE WHISKY
Cask Type: Matured in a combination of Bourbon casks and Port pipes
Strength: 46% alc./vol.
Availability: Batch 1 (2500 bottles) available worldwide from April 2014, permanent addition to core range.
Distribution: Worldwide
Price: RRP £159.99 per 70cl bottle / $250 per 75cl bottle
This whisky is sweet and fresh – a delicious whisky which, on the nose, smells like breakfast in a glass!
AROMA; Strawberry jam, honey glazed ham, Cantaloupe melon, freshly squeezed orange juice.
PALATE; Sweet with buttery notes; candy floss, Victoria sponge. Red fruits, eucalyptus, mint, coconut. Fading smoke.
FINISH; Fresh with lots of depth.
NOTES
• LAUNCH DATE: April 2014
• LAUNCH DETAILS: The launch will be supported by competitions on the brand’s social media channels and a Product Film on You Tube.
• The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends.
• Website: www.tomatin.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Tomatin1897
Twitter & Instagram: @Tomatin1897
YouTube: youtube.com/user/tomatin1897
World Whisky Day Shop Now LIVE!
World Whisky Day – Saturday 17th May 2014
Not long now!
We are delighted to welcome our friends at The Glenlivet, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Bruichladdich, Compass Box, Douglas Laing & Co, Kilchoman Distillery, Wemyss Malts, Kingsbarns Distillery, Tomatin Distillery and The Tweedale who are all celebrating World Whisky Day with us this year…more to announce soon.
Find out here how they will be celebrating!
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World Whisky Day Shop NOW LIVE!
Click here to see the new World Whisky Day Shop!
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Still time to register your World Whisky Day event
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Event ideas:
Host at an event at your local bar.
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We are proud to be supporting Just a Drop, an international water aid charity. We hope that you can help us raise money for them. Each time you have a whisky on World Whisky Day why not donate £1/$1/€1 to Just a Drop.
To learn more and donate to Just a Drop click here.
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In other news
World Whisky Day Whisky 2014 Edition available soon – to register interest click here We’ll let you know when they are available to buy! Still time to get a World Whisky Day Event Pack sent out to you! To register for one click here. Get in the spirit, mark the date in your diary and lets raise a dram to World Whisky Day 2014. Visit the website now to find events that are happening near you or to register your own event: http://www.worldwhiskyday.com
In the meantime if you want to discuss your plans or find out more about getting involved then please email info@worldwhiskyday.com or call +44 (0)131 208 2582.
Kind regards,
Blair Bowman
Founder
World Whisky Day
www.worldwhiskyday.com
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