HANYU - Vintage 2000 - Ichiro's Malt 15 years - The Last Vintage of Hanyu - Bottled in 2015 - 46.5%
Ichiro’s Malt is a prestigious independent bottling company of Japanese whisky, renowned for its exceptional expertise and passion for superior quality whiskies. Founded by Ichiro Akuto in a humble yet authentic workshop located in Chichibu, just 100 km northwest of Tokyo, this artisanal distillery operates with only two small stills, symbols of meticulous craftsmanship and limited production. Akuto's expertise is based on a family heritage of excellence: his grandfather was the historic founder of a fabulous sake brewery, the Hanyu distillery, established in 1625. It obtained an official whisky distillation license in 1941, merging ancestral tradition and innovation. Ichiro Akuto's father continued this passion by acquiring two Scottish stills capable of producing about 400 barrels per year, thus consolidating the unique identity of the family business.
In 2000, faced with a major economic crisis and a decline in sake consumption in Japan, the family was forced to sell the company. However, Ichiro Akuto turned this ordeal into an opportunity by carefully recovering the precious stills as well as the whisky barrels maturing, from the new brewery owners. This crucial act allowed preserving a unique heritage of rare and precious Japanese whiskies.
Today, Ichiro Akuto embodies the spirit of modern Japanese distillation. By rigorously applying the ancestral techniques perfected at the Hanyu distillery, he has become one of the most innovative and ambitious Japanese distillers. Over 4,000 barrels, carefully selected from Sherry, wine, and Bourbon casks, mature under his supervision, while he experiments with local barley cultivation with the ambitious goal of producing a truly Japanese whisky with enhanced authenticity.
This exceptional Single Malt comes from the Hanyu distillery, located in the charming riverside town of Hanyu, on the banks of the Tone River. Once surrounded by vast barley fields and rice paddies, this distillery produced malt whisky according to the traditional Scottish method. Unfortunately, production ceased in 2000, and its facilities were dismantled in 2004 after a change of ownership. Nevertheless, thanks to the determination and vision of the founder's grandson, the precious stocks and the distillery's identity were preserved. This same person later relaunched production in 2008 under the now famous name Chichibu, thus reviving a legendary dynasty in the world of Japanese whisky.
The Last Vintage of Hanyu is an exceptional Single Malt, aged for 15 years, with only 3,710 bottles released, ensuring unmatched rarity and exclusivity.
Purchase limited to 1 bottle per customer
