Chichibu The First Ten is the first 10-year-old single malt the distillery bottled under its own Ichiro's Malt label. It was released in 2020 at 50.5% ABV, in a run of 5,000 bottles.
About This Bottling
Chichibu filled its first casks in 2008, but for years much of its oldest stock was tied up in privately owned casks or went into limited single-cask bottlings. The First Ten was the distillery's own marker of a decade of production. It was bottled at 50.5%, and reviewers often cite it as a clear picture of the house style: spice, apple and sandalwood.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Ripe apple, vanilla, honeyed malt and oak spice.
- Palate: Balanced and concentrated, with orchard fruit, ginger, sandalwood and malt sweetness.
- Finish: Long and spicy, with warm oak and lingering fruit.
Serving & Food
Served neat in a Glencairn at room temperature, it shows its spice and fruit well; a dash of water rounds it off. Pair with tempura, roast chicken with miso or a baked apple.
How to Enjoy
Anyone who wants a single bottle to understand what Chichibu tastes like.
Product Details
Producer: Chichibu / Ichiro's Malt
Category: Japanese single malt whisky
Age: 10 years
Released: 2020
Outturn: 5,000 bottles
ABV / Strength: 50.5%
Region/Country: Saitama, Japan
Bottle size / Format: 700mL
About the Distillery
Chichibu is small, and it experiments widely with wood. Alongside bourbon barrels and sherry casks it has used wine casks, port pipes and beer casks such as IPA and imperial stout, as well as more unusual ones like cider and umeshu casks.
Part of its barley is grown locally in Saitama. Ichiro Akuto has built the distillery's reputation through a steady run of limited editions and single casks rather than a large core range.