Chichibu Distillery II - Whisky Review

Time for another dram!

A lightly peated Single Malt Japanese Whisky from Ichiro's Malt second distillery.

A bit about

Launched in 2025, Chichibu Distillery II is a Single Malt Japanese Whisky from Ichiro's Malt and the first release from Chichibu Distillery II.

Ichiro's Malt is a well-known brand in the whisky world. Founded by Ichiro Akuto, the first distillery began operations in 2008, with the second one starting production in 2019.

Located in Saitama Prefecture, it is the first new distillery opened in Japan since the 70's.

Same as Bimber Distilery, they use direct-fired pot stills and wooden washbacks.

Matured for 4-5 years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, Chichibu Distillery II has 55.5% ABV, a rich natural colour, and it is non-chill-filtered.

Time to try it

Nose: Delicate apple and pear notes, a bit of fresh pineapple with a hint of honey sweetness

Palate: Fresh, quite floral and fruity (apples and pears mainly) without anything being too overpowering, rich, lightly peated, with some pepperyness towards the end

Finish: Quite a dry finish with a tiny bit of bitterness, but pleasant nonetheless

Pros and Cons

It's great neat, but can benefit from a few drops of water, or even an ice cube.

The major downside is that it is not easily available.

In Conclusion

For me, the Chichibu Distillery II is quite a rich whisky with a nice balance between the peat and fruit notes - overall highly enjoyable.

I bought this bottle from the shop at Whisky Live Paris in September for around

€ 160 as far as I can remember. If you're lucky, you might still find some on the odd website for anything starting from £150.

I cannot wait to see the next releases from Chichibu II

As always, please drink responsibly.

If you like this little review please click on the little heart below and if you've tried this, I would love to hear what you think of it, in the comments below.

I hope life is treating you well.

Take care