05/08/2026 A triplet of Chichibu at Bar Lotus

JS and cavalier66 join me for what is supposed to be a modest night out, but will go on much later than expected. cavalier66 who cannot even remember how long he has been home alone, is determined to make it count too and orders only the most prestigious. He is there first, enjoying a dram of Highland 49yo 1976/2026 (45.1%, Thompson Bros. specially bottled for Dornoch Castle, Hogshead, C#SR26050, 140b) which he seems to like.

JS discovers there is an offer on flights of Chichibu, so she chooses one such flight. There are twenty-or-so Chichibu on the menu, you see? And that is before cavalier66 points out there are thirtyish more on the other side of the page.

Whilst she chooses, I peruse the shelves. cavalier66 has another.

Talisker d.1970 (53.1%, Gordon & MacPhail, b.1980s)

Nose: very peaty, with a lick of tropical fruits in the back. It then turns tertiary, much to cavalier66’s pleasure, with forest floor, mushrooms and dead leaves. It also starts smelling of pepper. A promising nose, at any rate.

Ah! We have a selection.

Chichibu 2015/2021 (63.3%, Venture Whisky exclusively bottled for Spirits Shop Selection, imported by Hua Yang International Exhibition, Bourbon Barrel 2nd Fill, C#5497, 223b)

Nose: pretty powerful. It is spirit-y and a bit mute, really. Potato salad? Water barely opens it up. We have bandages, wet with white-fruit juice, perhaps.

Mouth: very strong, it cauterises the mouth. Gauze soaked in ether. Adding water strikes a better balance: more fruit (baked plums), but that is still subdued.

Finish: powerful and disinfecting as to be medicinal. Antiseptic. JS finds it peppery. Water makes it fruitier, but also rather dry -- how ironic! cavalier66 detects banana. I am less convinced.

Score: 6/10

Chichibu 2015/2022 (61.7%, Venture Whisky exclusively bottled for Spirits Shop imported by Hua Yang International Exhibition, Bourbon Barrel 2nd Fill, C#5494, 183b)

Nose: more custard-y, it also has an allure that reminds tOMoH of the fun fair in Huy. The smell of fried doughnuts mixed with that of grilled sausages, perhaps? Stale industrial bread? That gives way to freeze-dried raspberries. Water does not really change the nose. Maybe it adds plastic grapes.

Mouth: super dry and a notch meaty (roast beef), it is also fairly salty. And strong, it goes without saying. With water, it becomes a tad fiery.

Finish: still pretty strong, yet it now also exhibits fruits -- Sauvignon Blanc grapes, ash-dry and bitter, devoid of the sweetness often associated with the term ‘fruity’. Water releases a bit more fruits, but it remains a fiery, drying number. cavalier66 even calls chilli. He is not wrong.

Score: 7/10

Talisker 47yo b.2026 Magma (48.8%, OB, Refill American Oak > Volcanic Toasted American Oak, 622b, b#310)

Nose: marsh-like, quagmire (giggity giggity), it has an overdose of vegetal peat, lichens, dried algae, dried mosses. Marshmallow (cavalier66) -- “or marshsmooth” (tOMoH). It is too peppery, according to cavalier66.

cavalier66: "Two supermarket whiskies in the same evening..."
JS: "The Tesco tasting!"

Chichibu 2014/2023 The Tree In The Forest (63%, Venture Ichiro's Malt exclusively bottled for Shinanoya distributed by Japan Import System, 2nd Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#3551, 191b, b#54)

Nose: this is more welcoming. It has baked sweetcorn and confectionary sugar. In fact, it is Destrooper butter crisps. Water allows dirty fruits to shine very brightly (peaches, rambutans), along with dirt and mud.

Mouth: oh! It is peaty. The manager had told us, but I had forgotten. Elegant smoke in an engine room, perhaps a hot motor (Aston Martin). It also has yellow fruits rubbed against galvanised metal (iron or zinc). With water, it sees more fruits and ashes, maybe burnt wood, and also a forest-fruit smoothie.

Finish: peaty and fruity. Plums dragged through an extinguished fireplace (soot, ash, charred wood), then rubbed on zinc. Water makes it linger and stick like a thick smoothie cut with mouthwash.

Score: 8/10

cavalier66: “Oh! wow, very different. I have been drinking old. I know it sounds…”
tOMoH: “Do you want a dickhead glass?”

The manager recommended water to open these Chichibu up when he brought them to the table. At first, I thought it was presumptuous to assume we were not familiar with 60+% whiskies. But coming out of the place, I seem to be more under the influence than I expected. Very glad JS did not go for a margarita on top of that. I really do not need another unit of alcohol tonight!

I enjoyed this to Bar Lotus visit it more unequivocally than the previous. It works better as a bar than as a vessel for tastings, I find. It also reminds me of those bars we went to in Korea, with dimly-lit atmosphere that make for dark pictures, and very few others drinking whisky.