[An Amazing Event!!] Chichibu Whisky Matsuri 2025 Report [21 Tastings]

Chichibu Whiskey Festival 2025

“Chichibu Whiskey Festival 2025”.

I participated last year as well, and the situation at that time was ``here』。

[An Amazing Event!!] Chichibu Whisky Matsuri 2024 Report: Event Day

朝食〜イベント会場到着 本日は秩父ウイスキー祭りイベント当日です。 前夜祭などの前日の様子は『前日編』として、別途投稿しておりますので、ぜひまだの方はそちらからご覧ください。 今回は『ルートインホテル 西武秩父駅前』に宿泊しております。 ル

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Participation fee

Tickets are always competitive.

First, advance sales are held at bars and liquor stores, but they generally sell out within the day.

After that, general sales will be held, but they will be sold out within 1 minute.

Also, after getting tickets for the event itself, it's also a scramble to get seminar tickets.

Particularly popular is the museum, which is usually not open to the general public.Chichibu DistilleryIt's an open day where you can visit the museum.

[Distillery Tour] Venture Whisky Chichibu Distillery [October 2024]

今回は埼玉県秩父市にありますベンチャーウイスキー秩父蒸溜所に見学に行って参りましたのでご紹介していきます。 ベンチャーウイスキー秩父蒸溜所 日本のクラフトウイスキーの先駆けと言えば、ベンチャーウイスキー 秩父蒸溜所かと思います。 2008年

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The Miyakawa Night Bazaar, which can be called the eve festival, will be held the day before, so many people will arrive early to stay overnight, so there will be competition for hotels.

Tickets, seminars, and hotels are all difficult to obtain, making this an overall difficult event to participate in.

Entrance waiting line

Those who purchased tickets at the general sale will have their neck straps replaced.

I think this can be replaced relatively easily.

After changing the neck strap, line up to change glasses.

If you purchased your glass at a bar or liquor store, you will already have a neck strap, so you can immediately stand in line to exchange your glass.

There is a line to exchange this glass, and you have to wait for over 10 minutes. .

You can also do the glass later.

Even if you don't have a glass, you can enter the venue and sample with the strap, so I think it's a good idea to exchange it whenever you like.

Next is the waiting line to enter the venue.

The venue is spread over four locations, but there are long lines at all of them.

This time we lined up to enter the Sanshuden, but the line extended into the forest.

Although there were only a few in number, there were also merchandise sales going on, and people were lining up as early as 3:00 AM. .

Introduction of brands sampled

Now, I would like to introduce all the brands that I sampled this time.

1st cup: ACORN Chichibu For Highlander Ink Raigeraki

It was a fruity Chichibu cup that I liked.

I especially felt the plum and orange notes, and I've never had a drink with such strong flavors.

2nd Glass: T&T TOAYAM Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry Cask

There was a good amount of sherry and peat.

It had a fruity and oily feel to it, and I knew it would be delicious and would sell out quickly.

3rd cup: Malt Samurai Tribute Blend Asaka

This was a special tribute to Hasumura, known as the Malt Samurai of J's Bar in Ikebukuro, who passed away in 2024.

This is a special blended whiskey created by exchanging unblended whiskey from six distilleries, the Daiichi and Daini, with whom we have particularly close ties: Asaka, Kanosuke, Komagatake, Tsunuki, and Chichibu.

Can only be purchased as a set of 4 cups.

Let's start with Asaka.

I think it was a cup that was typical of Asaka, with its fruity, plum-like and banana-like taste.

4th cup: Malt Samurai Tribute Blend Mars

I felt a slight peat and bitterness.

I got the impression that she was quite young, but since she was slightly peat, I got the impression that she couldn't mask her youthfulness.

5th cup: Malt Samurai Tribute Blend Kanosuke

I felt a bit of peat, saltiness, and fruitiness.

I got the impression that the harmony and fusion of peat and fruitiness was not well achieved.

6th cup: Malt Samurai Tribute Blend Chichibu

I felt fruit in the peat and lingering finish.

I think this has a good balance of peat and fruitiness.

It's a no-brainer, but if I had to rank them, this would be the order.

7th cup: Niigata Kameda Distillery Zodiac sign series Pisces

This is the first release from Niigata Kameda Distillery.

Since it is part of the Zodiac series, it seems that the release will be based on the motif of constellations.

This time it's Pisces, so it's Pisces.

It was a sweet bottle with a hint of honey.

It may be said that it is a popular distillery, but I think it is delicious and does not have a New Potty feel.

This is one book you definitely want to buy.

8th glass: Fuji Gotemba Distillery Comparison of constituent whiskeys Scotch type

A set to compare the composition of Fuji Gotemba Distillery's original sake.

All are grains and come in a set of 3 types: Scotch, Canadian, and Bourbon.

The Scotch type had the sweetness typical of grains, but also had an alcohol attack and a kelp flavor that I didn't like.

9th glass: Fuji Gotemba Distillery Comparison of constituent unblended sake Canadian type

The Canadian type has a grainy sweetness, a bourbon-like habit, and a glue-like feel.

I'm sorry to express this, but this taste is delicious.

10th glass: Fuji Gotemba Distillery Comparison of constituent unblended sake Bourbon type

The bourbon type has grape nuances, like a high-quality bourbon.

It has a unique sweetness and is delicious.

It tastes better if it emphasizes the bourbon flavor.

11th Glass: Hokkaido Whisky & Spirits Festival Secret Highland

It's Secret Highland, but as the wild cat on the label says, the contents are Clynelish.

I can feel the strong citrus nuances, and it doesn't feel like Clynelish, but it's more like Secret Highland Clynelish. . That's the impression.

12th Cup: Shinanoya Glen Grant 2006 16 Year Old Bourbon Barrel

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I could feel the pear, the fruity sweetness, and the lingering nuttiness.

I think it's delicious, but what I'm concerned about is the price. .

I understand that it's expensive because it's an official single cask release, but I guess it's just the price. .

40,000 in 16 years is a bit tough. .

13th cup: Shinanoya Glen Alahi 2005 2018 PX Sherry Puncheon

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Glen Alahi is Shinanoya's 95th anniversary bottle.

There is a strong sherry feel, and you can tell that they used good sherry casks.

There are many releases that have a strong barrel flavor, but they also have a dashi flavor and acidity, which is delicious.

It's a Billy Walker Select, it's an anniversary bottle, it's PX, and the price is fair for an 18 year old single cask, so I think it's a good buy.

14th Cup: Clarendon 2008 13 Years Tropical Aging

It's not whiskey, it's rum.

It has a nice tropical feel to it.

The price is 15,000 yen, so it's okay.

15th Cup: Brave New Spirits Little Mill 34 Years

Little Mill is a closed distillery.

Little Mill is known for its papery feel, but this one has no papery feel at all and gives the impression of being a super ripe tropical whisky.

I think there is also a touch of tannin that makes your mouth feel tight.

16th cup: Rudder Chichibu Hyakuseifuma

It was a delicious bottle with hints of vanilla and oak barrels, as well as the fruitiness of Chichibu.

Well, I don't think I will win the lottery, but I would like to apply when it is held.

17th Cup: Festival Bottle Linkwood 2009-2024 15 years

This is one of the event-limited festival bottles.

I couldn't drink this bottle at yesterday's seminar, so I tried it.

The official tasting comments also say that it is best to leave it for 30 minutes.

I tried it in a glass for a while, and my impression from the beginning was that it wasn't too bad.

However, the direction I was looking for was a little different, such as the apple flavor of Linkwood.

18th Cup: ePower Milonario Quitch

It's not whiskey, it's rum.

Strictly speaking, it's not even rum, but it's a liqueur because it contains an adulterant.

It has a catchphrase that says it's a drinkable pudding, but personally I think it's a drinkable Pucchin pudding.

Rum has tropical elements, but it also has caramel-like elements like this.

If you drink this and think it's delicious, try the rum called Dictador, and you'll be able to enjoy the caramel-like quality of a high-quality pudding that costs around 300 to 500 yen, like the ones sold at cake shops.

Please look for it at the bar.

19th Cup: Rudder Worthy Park 2007 16

It's not whiskey, it's rum.

It has an ethereal feel with an alcohol attack and a sticky glue feel, but once you get beyond that, a tropical feeling comes.

It really tasted like rum.

20th glass: Sakurao Gin Scarlet Cask Aged

This gin is finished in a barrel of Scarlet, an herbal liqueur.

It tastes like scarlet.

There was also Azumi's Scarlet Cask. .

It's interesting, but personally, I have the impression that Scarlet Cask is a one-hit wonder for comedians, and I think it's enough.

21st drink: Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2015 Longmorn 1992 22 years

This is the PB of Whiskey Talk Fukuoka 2015.

To be honest, the Scarlet I drank earlier was still lingering in my mouth, and I couldn't really make it out.

I'm starting to lose the taste, and it's almost time to finish, so I think I'll leave now.

Impressions of the event

It was a very enjoyable event as we were blessed with good weather and were able to meet a variety of people.

I did not purchase any bottles during this event.

I have purchased the festival bottles, and I would like to introduce them to you separately.

Points to note ①: Too crowded

My first impression was that it was too crowded. .

Last year there were 4,000 people, and this year it will be 4,500 people.I thought it was too crowded last year, but since the number of people has increased even though the venue size hasn't increased, I think it's even more crowded.

I think it's time to take some measures, such as increasing the number of venues or making it a two-day event.

Caution #2: Be careful not to spend too much money

There were quite a lot of paid tastings, and the total amount of paid tastings was 13,200 yen.

It felt like the charges increased each time I walked.

I mainly drink current products, so this is about the limit I get, but if you're into older products, I think you'll probably end up drinking twice or even three times more than this.

When you get drunk, your purse strings tend to loosen, so be careful. .

Points of concern: There were few new releases (many silent releases)

Personally, I go to events just for fun, but I also go to events to sample and purchase new bottles from various companies.

Before the event, it is customary to be informed on social media that a new product will be released or that you can sample it in advance, but this time,Chichibu Whiskey Festival 2025” was rarely done.

So, on the day of the show, I was feeling sad that there weren't many new releases this time. .

There were many bottles that were released silently, with people saying that they were actually able to sample them later on social media.

I don't know if it was meant to prevent crowding, but I completely missed out on drinking. .

Closing Thoughts

It is a very difficult event to participate in, as there are many things to compete for, such as getting tickets, securing a hotel for those who want to participate from the eve of the festival, and making reservations for the distillery's open day and seminars. .

I think it's a fun event, so I think it's a good idea to participate at least once.

Although there are some issues such as crowding, it's a good event overall, so I hope to be able to participate again next year by winning the battle for tickets.

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