Chita Distiller's Reserve

Chita Distiller's Reserve

Official bottling
Single grain - West Honshu
Pale gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, cotton sheets, jasmine, white tea, brass polish. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, volatile, watery. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. White tea, lemon zest, brass polish, fried eggs, burnt sugar. 
Finish: Medium. Jasmine, brass polish, lemon zest, burnt sugar. 

Comments: 

Well, this is rather odd. It's a grain whisky, but it's tannic, even sulphurous. If it were a malt whisky, I'd say it's one of the strange, intense Speysides that the Scotch Malt Whisky Society serve up every so often, but it's Japanese grain...

Verdict:

Not bad.

The Chita

The Chita

Official bottling
Single grain - West Honshu
Pale gold
43% ABV
D3ram

Nose: Sandalwood, ginger, apple juice, vanilla, hints of mangoes, hints of pear drops. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens, turns oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, pear drops, ginger, salted peanuts, custard, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Custard, fresh baked bread, apple juice, sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Finally, an official Chita! The SMWS bottling was wild and estery, the official version is tamed, restrained, with spicy ginger notes and hints of bold fruit. It's also quite salty, even nutty. I guess there's some element of reversion to the mean when you have to blend so many casks. Nevertheless I like this even so.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS G13.1 (Chita 4 yo 2009/2014)

SMWS G13.1 (Chita 4 yo 2009/2014)

2014, SMWS 
Single malt - West Honshu
Copper rose
58.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mangoes, vanilla, pineapples, coconut water, lychees, hints of white grapes. With water, more white grapes, plums, hints of prunes.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, slippery, turns watery.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Mangoes, vanilla, lychees, milk chocolate, pineapples, maraschino cherries, toast, hints of wood smoke. With water, more cherries, pineapples, fresh baked bread.
Finish: Long. Maraschino cherries, toast, pineapples, mangoes. With water, plums, bread.

Comments:

A new grain distillery! Chita distillery in Japan mainly makes the stuff that is the backbone of Hibiki. It's pretty decent quality on its own as well. This grain is soft, rounded, loaded with fruit and vanilla, and once one adds water, a toasty bready quality. I really enjoyed this, and I'm amazed that such a young whisky has such great complexity. Very, very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.