Every whisky drinker knows the phrase “the angel’s share,” which refers to the amount of whisky which evaporates each year during the aging process. The barrels in which whisky ages are porous, which is important so that the wood can breathe and expand and contract due to the weather. But that means that a small amount of volume is lost over time — typically around 2 to 5% per barrel per year. This amount was traditionally considered an offering to the angels.
Now, a new Japanese whisky is being released which celebrates that theme. Spirits of Salud is debuting its Chichibu “Angels Favourite” as a highly limited release. When distiller Chichibu, based in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, went to look in the cask for this particular whisky they were shocked to find that almost three quarters of the cask was empty, and all that remained was enough for 75 bottles.
The reason for the prodigious loss turned out to be practical rather than spiritual, as the barrel has leaked rather than having been the subject of particular divine interest. But in a nod to the old legend, the small amount of whisky that remained has been released as the angels’ favorite. There wasn’t enough for a full release, so there will be a limited number of the bottles available.
The release is single cask, aged for eight years and bottled at 63.5% abv. It promises peat and vanilla on the nose, with umami flavors like seaweed and crayfish and a long finish. It will be released in the Netherlands and Austria, and is bound to be snapped up quickly by whisky fans.
