Chichibu 2012 Single ex-Hanyu Cask #2074 / Black Rock

Chichibu distillery in Saitama, Japan was opened in 2008, and was the country’s first new distillery since Suntory opened Hakushu back in 1973. Chichibu was the brainchild of Ichiro Akuto, grandson of the founder of the legendary Hanyu distillery. The Ichiro’s Malt brand appeared in 2005 and rose to fame through the bottling of the last casks from Hanyu, particularly the sought after ‘Card’ series. The first Chichibu releases appeared under it in 2011.

This whisky was distilled in 2012 and aged in single second-fill hogshead #2074 before being bottled at cask strength in 2019. Single cask #2074 was first filled with Hanyu spirit and then reused for Chichibu spirit. 

Cask #2074 was bottled by Speciality Drinks and divided between high-end British retailer Selfridges and the Black Rock whisky bar in London. 

Speciality Drinks was established in 1999 as the independent bottling arm of The Whisky Exchange, which launched its online retail site the same year. Their first bottlings were under the Single Malts of Scotland label in 2005, followed by the Elements of Islay range and Port Askaig single malt brand in 2006 and 2009, respectively. The company was renamed Elixir Distillers in 2017.

One of 154 bottles.