Chichibu arrived in 2008 with the air of a small workshop daring to act like a distillery. Ichiro Akuto built it in Saitama, north west of Tokyo, in a basin of mountains and sharp seasonal swings, and then stocked the place with choices that looked almost wilfully old-fashioned for modern Japan: hands-on processes, plenty of wood, and a willingness to make small tweaks until the spirit behaved exactly as intended.

The backstory matters because Akuto was not starting from nowhere. He had already become the custodian of Hanyu’s remaining casks and the stories that came with them, and Chichibu feels like the next chapter written in his own handwriting. Early releases built a cult following quickly, partly because they were scarce, but also because the distillery’s style was clear even when the whisky was young: bright fruit, sweet malt, a little spice, and an underlying firmness that keeps it from turning too pretty.

Production is where the personality is forged. Chichibu has used wooden washbacks made from mizunara, and it has pushed fermentation longer over time to chase more fruity complexity. Casks range from the familiar to the distinctly Japanese, including small “chibidaru” style casks that speed up wood contact and concentrate flavour.

Chichibu 2, a second, larger distillery began operating in late 2019 to add capacity and broaden the range of house styles. It is not a rebrand so much as reinforcement, giving the original site more freedom to stay experimental.