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.

Ichiro’’s Malt & Grain World Blended Whisky is a blend of several malt and grain whiskies from various countries. It is aged for a minimum of 10 years and notably features old casks of Chichibu. Ichiro Akuto has launched a number of special editions of his much appreciated Malt & Grain bottlings, from classics to blends of Hanyu and Kawasaki. True to his belief in transparency, the label ‘World Blended Whisky’’ shows that although the blend is Japanese, not all of the ingredients are.