[Festival Bottles!!] Chichibu Whisky Matsuri 2025 Seminar: Appreciating the Festival Bottles

Seminar: Admire the festival bottle

Even participation tickets are competitive, and seminar tickets are also competitive. .

This time “Chichibu Whiskey Festival 2025'In 'Admire the festival bottleI managed to reserve a ticket for the seminar called ``.

Some seminars are held on the Saturday before the event and on the Sunday the day of the event, and this seminar was held the day before.

The content of the seminar is that you can drink while being introduced to the festival bottle (event limited bottle).

Until last year,cut the festival bottle”, but the lecturer, Mr. Hasumura from Ikebukuro J’s bar, unfortunately passed away just before the seminar was held, and Mr. Cask and Still Kawamoto from Nishikawaguchi was in charge of the seminar in his place.

Mr. Kawamoto will be in charge of the seminar from this year, so the name of the seminar will be “Admire the festival bottle” has been changed.

This year's festival bottles are 10, including 7 Scotch and 3 Japanese.

At this seminar, we were able to taste eight of these types.

Now, I'll introduce them in the order I drank them.

1st cup: Band Label Campbelltown Blended Malt 2016 8 Years

This is a band label that is released every time.

It's Campbelltown Blended Malt, and the inside is Glen Scotia teaspoon malt, and the teaspoon side is Springbank.

That's a common combination.

I think this was a bottle where you could feel the Campbelltown characteristics of oily and buttery, fruity and salty.

2nd cup: Clydeside 2018-2024 6 years

I felt the spiciness and resin of star anise, which is used in Chinese cuisine.

I don't understand the yellow peach syrup mentioned in the official tasting comments. .

It has a strong octagonal feel to it, so your preference will likely depend on how you perceive it.

Personally, I don't dislike star anise in dishes. .

Maybe I don't like being so assertive. .

3rd Cup: Isle of Brassay 2019-2024 Peated

I think it had a fig and smokiness, a salty, soupy feel, and a dairy-like creaminess.

It has a taste reminiscent of Islay sherry, and overall feels like a generic Islay sherry.

Aira is expensive these days, so if it starts at 10,000 yen, I'll buy it. .

This bottle itself is aged for 5 years and costs about 17,000 yen. .

Personally, I think I would buy Islay Sherry for the same amount of money, since I can buy Islay Sherry for that many years and that much money.

4th cup: Secret Orkney 2008-2023 15 years

Since it's Secret Orkney, the interior is Highland Park as usual.

It has a heather-honey flavor, sweetness, and citrus elements that are typical of Hyper, and I think the bottle clearly shows the characteristics that make it easy to recognize Hyper even when served blind.

5th cup: Glen Moray 2008-2023 15 years

It's a bottle that doesn't have the white flowers, fruitiness, or wheat taste of Glen Moray from around 2007 and 2008, which are called successful years, and it gives me the impression that something like this exists.

It has an apple and glassy taste, and with an alcohol content of 49.4%, it has a rustic feel that makes it easy to drink.

I think it will appeal to people who like it, but personally I would like a bottle that has more of the 07/08 feel.

6th cup: Asaka 2019-2025

This is a bottle where you can clearly feel the pink grapefruit mentioned in the official tasting comments.

However, the vanilla flavor and melon flavor were fused together, and to put it simply, I think it had a strawberry milk flavor.

I think it was one of the top 5 delicious Asakas I've ever had.

7th cup: Tsunuki 2020-2024 Weizen Liquid East

Dry yeast is generally used in the fermentation process, but this one uses liquid yeast.

It has a tropical, guava-like sour taste.

It's been aged for 4 years, but it still has that much tropical flavor. .

Liquid yeast is scary. .

Even if you don't buy this, please drink it at a bar or at a whiskey event at the Chichibu Whiskey Festival booth.

8th cup: Kanosuke 2018-2025

It's hidden by beer, coffee, and peat, but fruit and citrus are present.

Personally, I don't really like Kanosuke's Peated, but I get the impression that I didn't like this either.

However, once you open the bottle and the peat settles down, I think the fruitiness and flavor will really come out.

Impressions

It was a good seminar, as I was able to sample the wine with explanations, which deepened my understanding.

Although I'm being presumptuous, I thought the order was my preference. .

I think so.

Tickets for the Chichibu Whiskey Festival itself are very competitive, as are seminar tickets, but I'd like to somehow get them and participate again next year.

YouTube

I have also posted a YouTube version.

We introduce the seminar and the day before the event.

Official YouTube

It has also been posted officially, and you can listen to the same content as this seminar.

I think it's a good idea to watch this as a preview before drinking a festival bottle at a bar or event.