Ichiro’s Malt etc

Ichiro’s Malt whisky and Ashiya Nikki

I will never forget the moving experience of tasting Ichiro’s Malt whisky for the first time.I didn’t believe Japan still had such a great whisky.It is an ideal single malt whisky, not just powerful like Scotch but also subtle like Japanese whisky.I have been crazy about Ichiro’s Malt whisky ever since, though it was little known in Western Japan.I wanted to surround myself with various bottles of Ichiro’s Malt whisky and have been collecting them every time new offerings are released.Currently, there are about 100 types of Ichiro’s at Bar Ashiya Nikki.

Ashiya Nikki × Ichiro’s Malt 30+1 anniversary Bottle

BAR Ashiya Nikki is the first in Western Japan to release Ichiro’s Malt whisky as a private bottling. Our memorable encounter led to the birth of this bottle.We are very grateful to Mr Akuto Ichiro!

Tasting Notes

Nose: fruity aroma of bluegrass and plum Mouth: comfortable tannins Finish: long, sweet and woody This bottle is blended with five types of whiskies in a well-balanced manner: Chichibu Distillery’s main malt whisky combined with other malt and grain whiskies that have been aged for an average of 10 years. The whiskies are poured into the casks for further maturation.

What is Ichiro's Malt?

2004 saw the end of a long history and the beginning of a new era in the Akuto family, who had been making Japanese saké since 1625. The president changed the name of the company to “Toa Shuzo” in 1954 and also began to make whisky. But Mr. Akuto Ichiro, a grandson of his, had to give up their business in 2004. The whisky business is tough because it is not until after many years’ maturation that finished products can be ready for sale. Mr. Akuto Ichiro had many casks left in stock for maturation in his warehouses at that time. He made every effort to look for a company to which he could entrust the care of the unblended whisky.

Only a few days before disposing of all the whisky, Sasanokawa Shuzo in Fukushima Prefecture was moved by his passion and accepted his offer. Mr. Akuto founded a start-up company in November, 2004. He selected the best of all the casks that had a lot of his grandfather’s memories.

As a result, Ichiro’s Malt “King of Diamonds” was awarded the Gold Medal with the highest score in the Japanese Whisky category by Whisky Magazine, a whisky magazine based in the UK. The world was surprised at the fact that Japan had another excellent distillery in addition to the Suntory and Nikka Distilleries, but that this little-known distillery was no longer in business. So, much attention was paid to Mr. Akuto Ichiro and his venture whisky company, who, after that, began to produce whisky in the Chichibu Distillery in 2008.

A new generation of Japanese whiskies.

While the whisky industry was quite stagnant in the 2000s, the passionate spirit never died. BAR Ashiya Nikki serves many special products made in Japan.

The latest information on Japanese whiskies

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