2020 Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The US Edition Single Malt Whisky 750ml

2020 Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The US Edition is the third annual release in the Chichibu Distillery's US-exclusive series — and the first to be peated. Since 2018, founder Ichiro Akuto has assembled a cask-strength single malt each year specifically for the American market; for 2020 he chose heavily peated Chichibu spirit, and the label carries the word "Peated" to mark the departure from the unpeated 2018 and 2019 editions.

The vatting was drawn from a selection of casks in Chichibu's Saitama warehouses and bottled at 55.5% ABV (111 proof) without chill filtration or coloring, in a run of 2,109 bottles. Like every Chichibu, it was fermented in mizunara washbacks, distilled on two small Forsyth pot stills, and matured in the distillery's extreme continental climate, which drives young whisky to remarkable depth.

Peat smoke wraps the nose — earthy and gently medicinal — over rich malt, honey, and vanilla, with a citrus lift. The palate is full and oily at cask strength: smoky barley, orchard fruit, toffee, and pepper, closing on a long finish where ash and sweetness fade together.

The first peated entry in the US Edition series (the 2023 edition would return to peat) and a standout for smoke lovers. Sip neat, adding a few drops of water to open the fruit.

• Size: 750ml
• Proof: 111 (55.5% ABV) — cask strength
• Age: No age statement
• Origin: Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
• Distillery: Chichibu Distillery (Venture Whisky)
• Style/Class: Peated Single Malt Japanese Whisky, non-chill-filtered, natural color
• Release: 2020 US Edition — third in the series; the first peated edition; 2,109 bottles
• Tasting Notes: Peat smoke, rich malt, honey, vanilla, citrus, orchard fruit, toffee, pepper