Chichibu 2015
2022 Martial Arts Trilogy First Edition - TWE Exclusive
Chichibu 2015
Chichibu was opened in 2008 by the highly skilled Ichiro Akuto; previously of the closed Hanyu distillery and the blender responsible for creating the sought-after Ichiro's Malt range.
This bottle is the first edition of the Martial Arts Trilogy, a set of single casks bought and bottled by The Whisky Exchange to be sold exclusively by themselves. In particular, the first in the series is unpeated and distilled in 2015, then matured for 6 years in a single ex-bourbon cask before being bottled in 2021 yielding 233 bottles.
Due to the slightly warmer climate of Japan, the cask influence is more significant at a younger age than many Scottish whiskies at a similar age, so it delivers gentle layers of oak but also showcases the classic Chichibu fruity spirit style.
The bottle is adorned with a distinctive three-dimensional label that celebrates the skill required to master Japanese martial arts and also produce complex whisky such as the whisky created at the coveted Chichibu distillery.
The Japanese distillery of the moment was founded in 2008 by Ichiro Akuto, who comes from a family of distillers having previously owned the lost Hanyu distillery. Ichiro had always been around whisky, working for Suntory and had travelled to Scotland to learn more. Eager to re-establish his family heritage and produce a single malt Japanese whisky. This became a reality in 2011 with the first whiskies that were enthusiastically received. Demand has continued to soar and with it the reality that Chichibu could not produce enough to satisfy demand and establish a 10 year old expression. A Chichibu #2 distillery was established nearby and started distilling in 2019. It is capable of producing 5 times the amount of the original distillery and has some subtle differences from washbacks to how the stills are heated, with a longer fermentation time.
