Ichiro's Malt & Grain Chichibu Whiskey 700ml

Ichiro Akuto comes from a family that has been distilling in Chichibu since the 1700s, most recently through the Hanyu distillery his family once ran. When Hanyu closed, Akuto salvaged its remaining casks and went on to found Chichibu Distillery in 2004, the first new whisky distillery to open in Japan in thirty-five years. His work reviving traditional techniques and pushing quality standards across Japanese whisky earned him induction into Whisky Magazine's Hall of Fame in 2024.

Malt & Grain is Akuto's "world blended" project, built around a base of young malt and grain whisky from Chichibu and rounded out with whiskies sourced from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. Those foreign whiskies typically mature for several years in their country of origin before being shipped to Chichibu for further aging, allowing the Japanese component to bring its own character to the finished blend. It is bottled at 46 percent ABV, non-chill filtered, and free of added coloring.

The nose opens with apricot, popcorn-like toffee, vanilla cream, and a bright touch of citrus zest, backed by honeyed malt. The palate turns toward roasted chestnut, gingerbread, and black pepper over a light, silky texture, and the finish runs medium to long, closing on honey and a final peppery warmth.