Chichibu 10 Year The First Ten 700mL

Chichibu The First Ten is the first official 10-year-old single malt from Chichibu Distillery. Released as a milestone bottling under Ichiro's Malt, it marked the point at which Chichibu's youngest laid-down stocks had reached a full decade — making it a landmark bottle for collectors following Ichiro Akuto's modern Japanese whisky story.

From the Producer

Chichibu began production in 2008 at a small site in Saitama Prefecture, on the western edge of the Chichibu mountains about two hours from Tokyo. It was founded by Ichiro Akuto, of the family that owned and operated the now-closed Hanyu distillery; Hanyu's casks — rescued and matured on by Ichiro through the '90s and 2000s — became the iconic Ichiro's Malt Card Series and remain the bridge between the family distilling heritage and Chichibu's newer distillate. Chichibu's house style is small-batch, pot-still-driven and cask-led: floor maltings, on-site mashing and fermentation, long fermentations, and an elaborate cask programme built on bourbon barrels, sherry butts, Japanese oak and a range of wine casks. The First Ten was the release that confirmed a decade of patient, single-distillery maturation had paid off — and is treated by collectors as a reference expression of Chichibu's house style.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Ripe fruit, vanilla, oak spice and honeyed malt.
• Palate: Balanced and concentrated, with orchard fruit, sweet spice, gentle wood and a polished malt core.
• Finish: Long and warming, with vanilla, spice and clean oak.

Best For

Japanese whisky collectors, milestone gifting and side-by-side tastings of early Chichibu releases.