Japanese whisky has impressed many judges in recent years, with top awards going to the Hakushu 25 Year Old, Fuji Single Grain, Hibiki 21 Year Old, and many others.
Distilleries and producers from around the world eagerly await every year to learn if one of their expressions has succeeded in this prestigious competition, World Whiskies Award, which has been running since 2012.
This year, the Best Japanese Single Malt Whisky goes to Ichiro’s Malt CHICHIBU THE FIRST TEN.
The Chichibu distillery in Saitama, Japan, was the country’s first new distillery since Suntory opened Hakushu in 1973. Ichiro Akuto, the grandson of the legendary Hanyu distillery’s founder, created Chichibu. The Ichiro’s Malt brand debuted in 2005 and rose to prominence through the bottling of Hanyu’s final casks, particularly the sought-after ‘Card’ series. It was under this banner that the first Chichibu releases debuted in 2011.
CHICHIBU THE FIRST TEN by Ichiro’s Malt debuted in 2020. With only 5,000 bottles released, it’s incredibly limited.
CHICHIBU THE FIRST TEN is a wonderful Japanese single malt whisky offering up intriguing notes of vanilla, almond and banana. It’s smooth and easy to drink. The first sip is sweet, with notes of honey, marzipan, and cookies, followed by minerality and spice on the mid-palate and a lingering finish.
