Raw materials
malted barley
cereal grains
Distillery
Chichibu
Explore the spirits, production style and story of Chichibu.
Chichibu is the brand/operation of Venture Whisky led by Ichiro Akuto, renowned for handcrafted Japanese whisky produced in small batches, single-cask releases and blended expressions under the Ichiro's Malt label.
Japanese whisky
single malt
blended malt
small-batch craft whisky
single-cask bottlings
Producer range
Producer range Chichibu
Spirit categories
Japanese whisky
single malt
blended malt
small-batch craft whisky
single-cask bottlings
Representative products
Whisky 8 yo Single Cask #11037 Imperial Stout 23 70cl - Chichibu
Whisky Ichiro'S Malt & Grain 70cl
Whisky Ichiro'S Malt Wine Wood Reserve 70cl
Whisky Ichiro’s Malt & Grain WORLD Blended Limited Edition 70cl - Chichibu
Whisky Ichiro’s Malt And Grain 70cl - Chichibu
Whisky Red Wine Cask 2023 70cl - Chichibu
Casks and ageing vessels
Mizunara (Japanese oak)
Bourbon / ex-bourbon barrels
Sherry casks (Oloroso and others)
Red wine casks / port pipe
Port pipes
IPA / beer barrels
Hogsheads
Distillation and production
Distillation and production
Production method
Small-scale production with partial malting (including floor malting for some expressions), relatively long fermentations, pot still distillation, maturation in dunnage warehouses and frequent single-cask and small-batch bottlings.
Distillation
Pot stills (two pear-shaped Forsyth pot stills, small capacity)
Ageing
Maturation in dunnage warehouses with a wide variety of casks; frequent use of finishes and maturation in different casks and single-cask and small-batch bottlings.
Producer history Chichibu
The project began with Venture Whisky (founded by Ichiro Akuto) to commercialize the last reserves of the historic Hanyu Distillery; Chichibu's facility started production in 2008. Ichiro Akuto built the brand's reputation both with bottles sourced from Hanyu stocks and with the first distillates produced at Chichibu, focusing on small batches, single-cask bottlings and a wide variety of cask finishes.
Production philosophy
Artisanal, small-scale production with close attention to the quality of individual casks, use of natural processes (natural color, non chill-filtered) and experimentation with multiple cask types to express different aromatic characters.
Territory
Chichibu, Saitama prefecture — a mountainous area about 100 km from Tokyo; the climate has marked temperature swings that contribute to maturation.
Chichibu
This producer is a useful reference point for enthusiasts looking for authentic spirits, distinctive production identity and a carefully selected online catalogue.
On this page you can discover the producer, understand its main categories and browse the products currently available for purchase.
Products from
Products from Chichibu
Products from this producer are currently not available.
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