53.5% ABV, 700 ml, By the Chichibu Distillery
Limited US release of only 2,640 bottles
- US-exclusive, limited edition single malt Japanese whisky produced by Chichibu Distillery in Saitama, Japan
- 100% malted barley, heavily peated
- Fermented 100 hours in Mizunara oak washbacks
- Distilled twice in Forsyths copper pot stills
- Aged 4–7 years in a combination of cask types including new Taransaud T5 French oak, Mizunara hogshead, sherry, and chibi daru (modified hogshead with ~40-gallon capacity)
- Aromas of orange peel, mint, loquat, and melon precede a rich, softly sweet palate with a nutty, herbal finish
The 2023 release of the US Edition of Ichiro’s Malt features a new label that fancifully depicts US Commodore Matthew Perry—a key figure in the United States’ rapport with Japan in the 19th century—enjoying a dram of Ichiro’s Malt in Washington D.C., surrounded by the cherry blossom trees gifted from former Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki and pioneering chemist Dr. Jokichi Takamine in 1909. The implication is clear: Each release of Ichiro’s Malt has a rightful place in the ongoing story of Japanese whisky.