Founded by Ichiro Akuto, the grandson of the founder of the Hanyu distillery, Chichibu has been in operation since 2008. It is not only the first Japanese single malt distillery since Hakushu but also one of the most praised by enthusiasts. The Ichiro’s Malt brand was created in 2005 and rose to fame after bottling the last casks of Hanyu, most notably the highly sought-after Cards bottlings. Today it offers a wide variety of whiskies. The distillery is home to the last casks of Karuizawa, Kawasaki and Hanyu.

Blended by Ichiro Akuto, founder of the Chichibu distillery, this blended malt was produced from many different whiskies, perhaps - like Double Distilleries - including Chichibu and Hanyu. It was then finished in a vat produced from Mizunara, a Japanese oak that is particularly difficult to work but which gives the whisky the desired character with notes of spice, precious wood and incense. Sherry casks were also used in the blend.