Chichibu Ichiro's Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve Japanese Blended Whisky (2024) 70cl

Chichibu Ichiro's Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve Japanese Blended Whisky (2024) 70cl

The Ichiro's Malt brand is produced by Japanese firm, Venture Whisky, and is named after their founder, Ichiro Akuto. Venture Whisky was established in 2004 after Ichiro acquired the remaining unblended stocks of single malt from his grandfather's Hanyu distillery. Ichiro's Malt was born the following year, with the release of the original 'Card' series single casks of Hanyu. The company then opened its own distillery in 2008, the increasingly sought-after Chichibu. In addition to bottling these two single malts, the Ichiro's Malt brand has also produced a number of sought after blended whiskies like this over the years.

Rumoured to be a vatting of the closed Japanese distillery of Hanyu with that of the relatively young distillery of Chichibu, where this whisky was matured, married and bottled. The whiskies were matured in Mizunara oak casks (rare Japanese oak).

Given that this was first released in 2010 and and Hanyu has become thinner on the ground since, we can only assume the Hanyu content has or will eventually be removed. When that will happen or if it has already happened is unclear.

Tasting Notes

Nose : Quite dense with lots of honey, and also freshly sawn oak and sawdust (IKEA furniture assembly vibes), there’s also some initial varnish that is a bit solvent-y.

Better give it some time, more mandarin candies, candied plums, some orchard fruits of apples and apricots, with some white florals. There’s also some surrounding bread-y notes of dough, as well as some black tea and maple syrup, lightly tangy but syrupy sweet and spiced with some cloves. Last bits of ginger candy and marzipan.

Palate : A little more apparent incense notes here, lightly ashy and of musty wood, it’s almost like aromatic woody ash, texturally almost gritty and slightly thin. There’s also honey, caramel, more of that polished wood, with some vanilla, pout pourri, ever so slightly of apple tea and coffee grounds. It’s quite aromatic, but at the same time somewhat tannic and bitter belying the honey sweetness.

Finish : As if it couldn’t get more aromatic, it does! More of that gritty but aromatic sandy incense note, here a more apparent bit of coconut flakes, which eventually recede into a light bitterness and drying quality.

About Chichibu

Chichibu is a Japanese whisky distillery located in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Operated by Venture Whisky Ltd., the distillery was established in 2007 and began production in 2008. It is one of three distilleries owned by Venture Whisky, whose principal brand is Ichiro's Malt.

Venture Whisky was founded in 2004 by Ichiro Akuto for the purpose of commercializing Ichiro's Malt, a whisky produced from the remaining stock of the Hanyu Distillery, which had been owned by Toa Shuzo Co., Ltd., the Akuto family's company, until its sale that year, as well as to eventually produce whisky at a distillery of its own. This plan later took shape as the Chichibu Distillery. Chichibu Distillery was the first distillery in Japan in 35 years to receive a new whisky production license from the government, and its success contributed to the revitalization of the Japanese whisky industry, leading to the establishment of new distilleries across the country

In 2019, the Chichibu Daini Distillery began operations, located 600 meters from the original Chichibu Distillery. Its first single malt, Chichibu Distillery II, was released in 2025. The production capacity of the Daini Distillery is five times that of the original facility, and its pot stills employ direct firing instead of steam-based indirect heating, while its fermentation tanks are made of French oak rather than mizunara.

A unique characteristic of Chichibu is the use of locally grown barley and the pure water from the surrounding mountains, which contribute to the exceptional quality of their whisky. The distillery combines traditional techniques with innovative approaches, including the use of a wide variety of casks, including ex-bourbon, sherry, and Japanese Mizunara oak. This results in complex and refined flavour profiles.

Chichibu whiskies are known for their rich and versatile character, with notes of vanilla, fruit, spice, and sometimes a subtle smokiness. The attention to detail and craftsmanship of Ichiro Akuto and his team are reflected in the international recognition and awards their whiskies have received.

In 2025, the Tomakomai Distillery is scheduled to begin operations in Tomakomai, Hokkaido. It will produce grain whisky using a Coffey still and will increase overall production by blending it with malt whiskies from the two Chichibu distilleries, with the aim of expanding sales outside Japan.

Between 2017 and 2025, whiskies such as Chichibu Whisky Festival 2017 and Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Blended Japanese Whisky, both produced with stock from the Chichibu Distillery, received the World’s Best awards in their respective categories seven times at the World Whiskies Awards organized by Whisky Magazine

In March 2024, Whisky Magazine inducted Akuto into its Hall of Fame, making him the fifth Japanese figure to receive this honor. He was selected for establishing the first new whisky distillery in Japan in 35 years and becoming a leading figure in the Japanese whisky industry. The magazine cited his efforts to revive production techniques that had been fading during a period of industry stagnation, his technical innovations, his multiple award-winning whiskies, and his contributions to strengthening brand standards and improving the quality of Japanese whisky.

Chichibu has grown to be the 3rd most popular brand of whisky although some may argue it is the most popular as it sells out the quickest for the releases it churns out pound for pound with the hardest place to obtain it, being Japan itself.

46% ABV

70cl