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Roka releases rare Japanese whisky
Roka has collaborated with Japanese whisky distillery Chichibu on the launch of a new blended malt whisky to mark the restaurant chain’s 20th anniversary.
“We have had the privilege of working with Chichibu – part of distillery Venture Whisky – for over 10 years, with this being the 4th bottle we have produced together,” Simon Freeth, global head of bars for Roka, told db. “Speciality Drinks has been an important partner in the creation process with each of these bottlings, supporting all logistics elements. The first three bottlings that were made for us and our sister restaurant Zuma were from single casks. The first was a Hanyu cask (one of the last remaining from Hanyu’s historic stock before it closed) and the other two casks from Chichibu.”
Chichibu is located in Saitama prefecture. The distillery, constructed in 2008, was supposedly Japan’s first single malt distillery to be built since the 1970s.
“Following a discussion in London with Ichiro Akuto (owner, master distiller and blender) and Yumi Yoshikawa (global brand ambassador) last year, we wanted to create something special for Roka’s 20th anniversary. This resulted in Ichiro Akuto himself creating a blend for us, including malts from Hanyu and Chichibu, it also aligns with Venture Whisky’s 20th anniversary, which makes the collaboration even more pertinent,” Freeth added.
Offering his tasting notes, Freeth said: “For me, on the nose, the whisky offers rich aromas of dry apricot and honey. On the palate I get a blend of ripe stone fruit and the soft, yeasty character of brioche. It has a nice long finish, with notes of spice and cinnamon.”
From today (9 September), the whisky will be available to sample in 25ml (£24) and 50ml (£48) servings at all four of Roka’s London sites (Charlotte Street, Mayfair, Canary Wharf and Aldwych).
Serving suggestions
“This whisky will only be served neat,” he explained. “However, there are several cocktails that we have created with Chichibu for the specially curated Roka 20th anniversary dinner [on 9 September] to pair with several of the courses. One of the cocktails is with Ichiro’s Malt & Grain whisky, ume nigori sake, green plum extract, amaro, soda and pairs really well with the grilled duck breast and smoked soy butter.”
Other pairings with dishes from the dinner that Freeth revealed include “the baby back ribs with cashew nuts and sansho salt, or one of the desserts such as the sticky toffee pudding with miso caramel and sweet potato ice cream”.
“Whisky is an interesting product when it comes to pairing,” he explained, “and while it’s extremely versatile, we must take into account the ABV and how that may balance with certain food flavour profiles. We are very fond of serving whisky in the traditional Japanese Mizuwari fashion, or highball, as this allows the flavours to shine, while reducing the overall ABV of the drink.”
Asked if Roka has any other drinks collaborations lined up, Freeth shared that the restaurant has a special sake in store: “We have also partnered with the Totsatsuru sake brewery for the Roka 20th anniversary. In this case it is a special labelling of their famous Azure, and they are a brewery that Roka has been working with since the very beginning. It is one of my favourite sakes and my all-time favourite bottle design. This was led by Laura Blanchett (global head of wine and sake at Roka) who worked with the owners directly to make this happen. The sake is a ginjo and is made in Shikoku Island, in Kochi prefecture of Japan.”
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