Chichibu – Paris Edition 2025 Asakusa (70cl, 50.5%)

This Chichibu is a cuvée of 17 casks, limited to 2,484 bottles, with components from five to fourteen years old. It comes from the Paris Edition 2025, which marks the link between Tokyo and Paris in six label designs. Asakusa is the counterpart to Montmartre. The casks include new French oak, Spanish ex-sherry, ex-Bordeaux red wine, an American oak hogshead and bourbon barrels, two of which held heavily peated whisky and add light peat and smoke. It is bottled at 50.5%, non-chill-filtered and with natural colour. The nose is rich and creamy with passion fruit, lychee, mango and dark berries. The palate is oily, lively, lemony and peppery, with honey, wax and plum. The long finish brings herbs, mint, eucalyptus, toffee and white pepper.