Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries 2021

This is a collaboration blended malt vatting Chichibu with Mars whisky from Hombo Shuzo, whose Shinshu distillery sits high in the Nagano mountains and bottles the Komagatake single malt. Chichibu, founded in 2008 by Ichiro Akuto, brings its Saitama malt to the marriage of two Japanese makers.

The two malts are matured in oak before vatting, Chichibu fruity and clean, Mars Komagatake softer and lightly herbal. Carrying no age statement, it rests on the wood and Chichibu's quick, climate driven maturation. Ex-bourbon vanillin reads as vanilla, with orchard fruit and honey from the Chichibu side and a gentle alpine character from the Mars malt. Together they make a softer, rounder whisky than either distillery bottles on its own.

Bottled at 53% in a run of 10200. A meeting of two of Japan's most followed craft distilleries, natural colour throughout. Mars and Chichibu are among the leading names in the revival of Japanese craft whisky. It remains one of the most collected names in modern Japanese whisky. Demand for the distillery's bottlings has long outpaced its small output. It reflects the distillery's reputation for careful, small scale work.