Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The First Ten 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 750ml

Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The First Ten is a milestone bottle: the first single malt from the Chichibu Distillery to carry a ten-year age statement. Released in 2020, it marked the moment Ichiro Akuto's tiny Saitama distillery — which had opened only in 2008 and made its name with intense three- and five-year-old whiskies — could finally show what a full decade in its warehouses produced.

The First Ten was vatted from casks distilled in Chichibu's earliest years, 2008 to 2010, predominantly ex-bourbon barrels with a portion of other wood, and bottled at 50.5% ABV (101 proof) without chill filtration or coloring. Around 5,000 bottles were released worldwide. It is the natural culmination of the On The Way series (2013, 2015, 2019), which had tracked the distillery's stock "on the way" to this very release.

Ten years of Chichibu's extreme continental climate — scorching summers, freezing winters — produce a whisky of unusual depth for its age. The nose offers dried fruit, honey, and vanilla with soft oak and a floral, mizunara-tinged lift; the palate is rich and rounded — malt, toffee, stone fruit, and delicate spice — with a long, elegant, gently oaky finish.

Presented in a striking bottle with its presentation box, The First Ten is a cornerstone for any Chichibu collection. Serve neat.

• Size: 750ml
• Proof: 101 (50.5% ABV)
• Age: 10 Year
• Origin: Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
• Distillery: Chichibu Distillery (Venture Whisky)
• Style/Class: Single Malt Japanese Whisky, non-chill-filtered, natural color
• Cask/Aging: Predominantly ex-bourbon barrels; casks distilled 2008–2010
• Release: 2020 — Chichibu's first 10-year-old single malt; approx. 5,000 bottles
• Tasting Notes: Dried fruit, honey, vanilla, soft oak, malt, toffee, stone fruit, delicate spice