Chichibu 2012 Peated - Cask 2088

While isolating, I opened a sample I had. I must admit, I had no idea of the cost of a full bottle, which probably aided me in reviewing this sample without any price bias. It's around $1500 (though I've seen it cheaper at auctions), and there were supposedly only 2017 bottles. Bottled at an impressive 63.2% ABV, this is so well made that you barely sense the high alcohol content. It has a golden hue. On the nose: red chili, vanilla extract, Bloody Mary, peat, grass, cigar box, dark chocolate, caramel, sulfurous notes, bronze, metallic, lime, and a whisper of smoke. So intricate! On the palate, it's delightful. Aged oranges, chocolate, dulce de leche, maraschino cherries. There's that smell of the crust of chocolate brownies when you're baking them. Fantastic stuff. The finish is potent. Perhaps overly so. Ginger, peat, grass, cigarettes, tobacco, wasabi, mint. This spirit demonstrates the complexity a dram can possess. I don't believe it's worth $1500; $250-300 would be reasonable. Still a magnificent, intricate dram. My rating is 92 out of 100.