Ichiro’s Malt & Grain

Ichiro's Malt and Grain is a blended whisky label from Venture Whisky's Ichiro Akuto that in earlier releases drew explicitly on malt from both the active Chichibu distillery in Saitama and whisky from two closed sites: Hanyu, the family's original Saitama distillery which ceased production in 2000, and Kawasaki grain distillery. The range is openly a world blend and may incorporate imported spirit alongside these Japanese components; the full makeup is not disclosed.

This 2014 Japanese domestic release was matured in Ex-Bourbon casks and bottled at 48%. The noted flavour of cooked vegetable suggests a meaty, slightly savoury depth alongside the typical bourbon wood sweetness, reflecting the character that can emerge from aged grain stock in the blend. It is an early and historically interesting expression of a range that has evolved considerably in composition since then.