Ichiro’s Malt The US Edition 2023

Ichiro’s Malt The US Edition is an annual single malt release crafted specifically for the US market at the legendary Chichibu Distillery in Saitama Japan. This 2023 release marks a departure from previous years with a whimsical label illustration spanning generations of history and reflecting on some of Japanese Whisky’s historical context. The label’s backdrop is set at the Capitol Building amongst the cherry blossom trees gifted to the United States in 1912 by the mayor of Tokyo and Jokichi Takamine. A Japanese bartender featuring contemporary tattoos and a historically ancient cho-mage samurai hairstyle serves whisky amidst the beauty of spring. The rosy cheeked military figure on the label prominently displayed savoring a dram of Ichiro’s Malt is American Commodore Matthew C. Perry.

Perry who was born on April 10th, 1794, living until he succumbed to cirrhosis on March 4th, 1858 – was a remarkable and sometimes controversial figure whose achievements throughout his military history could be contextualized as outstanding triumphs or often, imperialistic oppression. Perry, not unlike Lincoln in the US, is one of the most recognizable western figures in Japanese history due to his pivotal role in opening the country to foreign trade. Originally arriving on Japan’s shores to negotiate the return of shipwrecked American sailors in 1851, Perry, quickly recognizing the opportunity and established a front of “gunship diplomacy” to secure trade relations with the reluctant country. In 1854 the treaty of Kanagawa was signed effectively opening Japan to foreign trade and ending the country’s two hundred years of isolation. This trade ensured America’s influence in Eastern Asia, and established Japan as a major economic partner, competing with the rise of British and Russian influence in the region.

In his visits to Japan, Commodore Perry brought with him gifts for the Emperor and the higher dignitaries of who’s favor he sought to secure. Among these gifts was a miniature steam locomotive, a working telegraph machine for transmitting morse code, a telescope, and most interestingly – bottles of foreign alcohol. The offering included maraschino liqueur, Madeira, sherry, and over a hundred gallons of whisky to be dispersed amongst the Japanese nobility. This gift was the first historically recorded instance of malt whisky being introduced to Japan, thus paving the way for the country’s inevitable adoption and love of the spirit.

Some 168 years later we have the latest version of this phenomenal single malt whisky from Ichiro Akuto and the Chichibu Distillery. Who have, in their own right, have begun to write a new chapter in the history of Japanese Whisky. The US Edition 2023 is a stunning combination of creativity, distilling prowess, and artful vatting that brings together peated whisky matured in much coveted T5 French virgin oak, mizunara hog’s head, ex-sherry, and Ichiro’s own Chibi Daru casks. Aged between 4 to 7 years and bottled at 53.5% ABV, we could not be more excited to share this legendary whisky and its new label encapsulating the remarkable gift that is Japanese Whisky.