Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries 2021

Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries 2021 is the European market variant of the collaboration between Chichibu, Venture Whisky's Saitama distillery, and Mars Shinshu in Miyada, Nagano, operated by Hombo Shuzo at roughly 800 metres above sea level in the Central Alps. The pairing brings together two complementary Japanese malts from distinct environments, one low-land and vibrant, the other alpine and precise, in a combined expression released simultaneously for both global and European channels.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon casks, the blend was bottled at 53.5% cask strength for Europe, fractionally stronger than the simultaneously released global edition. The Ex-Bourbon wood provides a shared vanilla and caramel backbone, while the contrast between Chichibu's vibrant Saitama fruitiness and the clean, mountain-influenced character typical of Mars Shinshu gives the expression breadth and layering at natural strength.