Ichiro's Malt Chichibu On the Way Floor Malted 2024 Edition (70cl, 54.5%)

This is a Japanese single malt from Chichibu, made entirely from barley malted on the floor, a hand-turned method the distillery introduced in 2008. It is a blend of whiskies aged between 9 and 15 years, bottled at 54.5% without chill filtration or colouring. The whiskies were matured in a mix of casks: bourbon, sherry puncheons, mizunara hogsheads, wine casks and chibidaru, the distillery's small casks. This 2024 edition is limited to 12,000 bottles. The nose brings white peach, honey, pre-toasted bread and a touch of mint. On the palate, peach and pear lead into a maple syrup texture, and the finish is long with sweet fruit.