Ichiro's Malt Chichibu Red Wine Cask 2023 (70cl, 50.5%)

This is a Japanese single malt from the Chichibu distillery, matured in red wine casks. The casks come from vineyards in France, the United States, New Zealand and Japan, and the whisky rests on the lees from the wine. It is bottled at 50.5%, non-chill-filtered and with natural colour, and has a copper hue with red tones. The nose offers honey, fine wood and fruit, including medlar, forest berries and citrus. On the palate, blueberry meets citrus and medlar, then mint, liquorice and cedar, with cocoa bitterness and a smooth caramel sweetness. The finish is long, with cloves and candied orange peel, and a lingering milk chocolate sweetness.