Description

• Alcohol %: 59.5
• Decant Time: 15 minutes (or rest 10–15 minutes in glass)
• Taste: toasted oak, vanilla bean, baked orange peel, dark chocolate, caramelized sugar, baking spice, leather, tobacco, warm spice, long smoky-woody finish
• Food Matching: 70–85% dark chocolate, Aged hard cheeses (Parmigiano, Manchego), Smoked or grilled red meats, Charcuterie and cured ham, Nuts (toasted almonds, walnut), Spicy Asian BBQ or miso-glazed dishes
• Grape Variety: not_applicable ,

Tasting note

品飲筆記：這款 Chichibu Ken's Choice 單桶（#3926，2007）雙橡木陳釀，酒精度高達59.5%，前調以烤橡木、香草奶凍和烘焙香料打開，跟著出現焦糖、橘皮蜜與黑巧克力的厚實果脯感。入口飽滿，口感層次豐富，橡木單寧明顯但支撐力強，帶來皮革、煙草與烤堅果的風味；尾韻悠長，微苦的柑橘餘味讓整體更有平衡。 酒廠背景：Chichibu 是日本一座備受注目的小型蒸餾廠，由精細製酒理念驅動，擅長小量、單桶釋出，強調每桶風味的獨特性。Ken's Choice 系列正是展現這種單一筒槽個性的窗口。 釀造與陳年：此款採雙橡木槽段式熟成，先後在兩種橡木環境中萃取風味，最後以單桶原酒裝瓶。高酒精度保留豐富的木質與糖化香氣，適合緩慢品味或加少量水以釋放更多層次。 田野與倉庫環境：Chichibu 位於內陸、季節溫差明顯，倉庫的溫濕度變化加速木與酒精的互動，使陳年香氣更集中。喝這支酒時，可以想像蒸餾廠周邊的麥田與冷冽空氣如何塑造出這種有力且有溫度的口感。

Tasting note: A robust cask-strength release from Chichibu’s Ken's Choice series — double-oaked and bottled from single cask #3926 (2007). Aromas open with dense toasted oak, vanilla custard and warm baking spice, followed by candied orange peel and dark chocolate. On the palate it’s full-bodied and concentrated: layered caramel, tobacco leather and roasted nuts supported by assertive oak tannin and ripe dried fruit. The finish is long, warming and mouth-coating, with lingering spice and a pleasant bittersweet citrus echo. Producer notes: Part of a boutique single-cask program from Chichibu, this bottling reflects the distillery’s small-batch philosophy: careful spirit handling, adventurous cask selection and limited releases. Each Ken's Choice single cask highlights the character of one cask rather than a house blend. Winemaking/distillation notes: Distilled and matured at cask strength, this expression underwent sequential aging in two oak casks (double oaked) before single-cask bottling at 59.5% ABV. Expect concentrated extraction from mature oak — likely no chill-filtration and natural colour given the single-cask, limited nature. Vineyard/terroir notes: While not a wine, the spirit carries the fingerprint of Chichibu’s cool inland climate — subtle seasonal temperature swings in the storehouse accelerate wood-spirit interaction and build intensity. The result is a concentrated, textured dram that rewards slow sipping or a few drops of water to open aromatics.

Winery

秩父蒸餾廠（Chichibu）及 Ken's Choice 系列：一座以小批量、單桶釋出聞名的日式蒸餾廠。Ken's Choice 強調挑選具個性的單一桶陳年，保留原酒厚實風格與橡木印記，風味直接、張力十足。

Chichibu Distillery (Ken's Choice single cask): a small, highly regarded Japanese distillery known for boutique, single-cask bottlings. The Ken's Choice series highlights individual casks chosen for distinctive oak and maturation profiles, yielding bold, unblended releases at cask strength.