pkingmartin
Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries 2021
Blended Malt — Japan
Reviewed
September 17, 2022 (edited September 19, 2022)
The nose starts with sautéed gooseberries, grapefruit pith and sandalwood incense then light floral notes of honeysuckle and jasmine along with dark chocolate covered dehydrated pineapple and prunes followed by peaches, hay and lemon zest that transitions to light barrel spices with low ethanol burn.
The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to mangos, nectarines and freshly lit sandalwood incense then floral notes of honeysuckle and jasmine along with dark chocolate covered dehydrated pineapple and prunes followed by caramelized peaches, Granny Smith apple peel and sour lemon candy that transitions to black pepper, cloves, ginger, leather and black tea leaves with medium ethanol burn.
The finish is short with tropical fruit, sandalwood and light barrel spices that vanishes quickly.
Damn it, I was really excited to try this one as anything I’ve tried lately with Chichibu on it has been impressive but this double distillery just didn’t come together well for me. The nose has an interesting mix of citrus, florals, spices and light oak but there is a sourness that diminishes the experience which carries over to the taste but thankfully is upfront with a moderate spice that fades to an enjoyable mix of sweet tropical fruit, florals and mildly bitter oak before the rather rushed finish that the flavors dissipate in milliseconds.
At a price of nearly $300, this is a hard pass for me and I’m glad I just had a sample to try.
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@pkingmartin I think I gave him that bottle after a tasting. Back then, I paid barely $60
@PBMichiganWolverine Haha, I believe I had the same one and really didn’t enjoy it. I think @Richard-ModernDrinking may still have that bottle in his collection. Sadly, I think that cat bottle can now fetch a hefty price tag if unopened.
@pkingmartin I’m not a fan of Mars either. I think I had their cat series ( I forget which) …wasn’t too impressed.
@PBMichiganWolverine Oh, it does have Chichibu (Ichiro’s Malt) at 50% and the other 50% being Mars single malt. I’ve had Mars once before which I wasn’t impressed by but was hopeful that it was a bad batch and that this combination of legendary Chichibu along with it would be something special. Alas, it seems that Chichibu couldn’t do enough heavy lifting to save this for my palate and I’ll just avoid anything with Mars on it going forward.
@pkingmartin so that’s even worse , since it doesn’t have Hanyu or Chichibu. I think Mars is either all grain or sourced grain from Scotland , not sure.
@PBMichiganWolverine I think that might have been one of the previous releases of the double distilleries. From what I could find online, this is a blend of 5+ year old Mars Komagatake Single Malt, distilled at Mars Shinshu but aged in Chichibu Distillery, and Ichiro's Malt that has also been aged for 5+ years. Maturation for both distillates in the blend took place in a combination of ex-bourbon, sherry and American oak casks.
@pkingmartin i can be wrong, but I thought this contains Chichibu new make, not actual whiskey. And a rather portion as well. The small other portion is Hanyu, which is a ghost.