Chichibu Ichiro's Malt & Grain Limited Edition 'Spirits of Salud' #13482 5cl

Nose

An inviting mix of almond cream, fudge and chocolate nougat. Confit violets and dried pear. It's like stepping into a pastry shop.

Flavour

The flavour is a nice extension of the nose. Here too the full sweet character and the whole sweet shop comes by. Because the whisky is bottled at cask strength and so there is quite a bit of alcohol in our glass, we also have some pepper in the flavour. Lovely burn and so we find this certainly contributes positively to this already delicious whisky. 

Finish

The aftertaste is long and relatively spicy with some sultry notes of chocolate and cinnamon lingering long on the palate

Chichibu Distillery was established by Ichiro Akuto in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture in 2007 and began distilling in 2008. Akuto comes from a family with a long tradition in sake and whisky. After the family-owned Hanyu Distillery closed, he founded Venture Whisky in 2004 to preserve its remaining casks and release them under the Ichiro’s Malt name. Chichibu allowed him to continue that history in a new form.

The first single malt produced at Chichibu appeared in 2011. The small distillery subsequently developed into one of the most influential names in modern Japanese whisky. A second production site began distilling in 2019, creating additional stocks for future maturation.

Chichibu combines Scottish-inspired copper pot stills with distinctly Japanese elements. Its washbacks are made from mizunara oak, while local barley, floor malting and casks from the company’s own cooperage are used on a small scale. Bourbon, sherry, wine and Japanese oak casks create a wide variety of styles, ranging from fruity and spicy to rich or smoky. Small-scale production and constant experimentation have made Chichibu especially desirable among whisky enthusiasts and collectors.