What Does Chichibu Whisky Have to Do with an Escape Room?

Wednesday, 03 December 2025 at 07:03

Anyone who’s ever played an escape room will instantly recognize the concept of puzzle-locked boxes. But what happens when you translate that idea into an exclusive whisky? That’s exactly what Spirits of Salud has done with the new The Chichibu. You can’t just pour this Japanese whisky. First, you have to crack the code.

FAQ

Where is the Chichibu Distillery located?
In Japan’s Saitama Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo.
What is The Chichibu Code whisky?
An exclusive, 7-year-old peated single malt from Chichibu.
Why is Chichibu whisky so exclusive?
The distillery has a very small production capacity and releases only limited editions.

Discover more about Japanese whisky here.

A whisky as an escape room?

The new Japanese whisky is a collaboration between Spirits of Salud and Chichibu Ichiro’s. The bottle comes in a deep blue box, securely sealed with a metal combination lock. To open it and reach the nectar of the gods, you’ll have to puzzle it out.

Each whisky comes with three riddles. Every riddle yields one number of the code. Only when all answers are correct will the Chichibu box open and the whisky can be uncorked. It doesn’t just add a playful twist it also nods to secrecy, craftsmanship, and Japan’s devotion to detail.

What is Spirits of Salud The Chichibu Code whisky?

Once you crack open the chest, you’re rewarded with one of Chichibu’s most exclusive bottlings to date: a 7-year-old heavily peated Japanese single malt.

The Chichibu Code #8275 (and no, that’s not the lock code) was made from Odyssey barley and filled into a first-fill bourbon cask on August 3, 2017. The whisky was finally bottled in June 2025 at 65.8% alcohol by volume (ABV).

How does The Chichibu Code taste?

This whisky boasts a complex flavor profile, opening on the nose with notes of caramel, candied bacon, pine bark, and roasted beef, followed by a wave of smoky savoriness. On the palate, look for peppered meat, beeswax, grilled pineapple, and tropical sweetness reminiscent of papaya.

As it moves into the finish, deeper umami tones emerge, leaving behind a velvety mouthfeel.

A highly exclusive Japanese whisky release

The Chichibu Code is far from just another Japanese whisky. The release is extremely limited. Only 180 bottles came from the cask, with one reserved for the Venture Whisky archive. The rest will go on sale but the price has yet to be announced.