Ichiro's Malt & Grain: A World Blend Finished in Chichibu

Ichiro Akuto founded Venture Whisky in 2004, four years before the Chichibu distillery he's now famous for started producing in 2008.

Chichibu has since become one of the most sought-after names in whisky. This bottle is the accessible way into what he does.

What "World Blend" Means Here

Malt & Grain is not a Japanese whisky in the narrow sense, and it doesn't pretend to be.

It combines Ichiro's own Japanese malt with selected Scotch, Irish, Canadian and American whiskies. Those components are aged three to five years in their countries of origin, then shipped to Chichibu.

The Part That Makes It His

The imported whiskies aren't simply blended on arrival. They get a further one to three years of maturation in Chichibu before anything is bottled.

That's the decision worth understanding. Blending is instant. You can do it in an afternoon. Marrying components in cask, in a specific climate, for years, is something else. The extra time in Japan integrates the grain, malt and oak influences so the blend reads as one thing rather than as several whiskies in a glass together.

Chichibu's climate does a lot of work in that period. It's hot in summer and cold in winter, with far bigger swings than Scotland, which pushes spirit in and out of the wood faster.

What It Tastes Like

Nose: Apricot, popcorn toffee, vanilla cream, Meyer lemon zest

Palate: Toffee, roasted chestnut, gingerbread, vanilla, black pepper

Finish: Medium-long, honey and black pepper

It stays light and fruit-led, which is the Ichiro's house signature. Nothing here is heavy for the sake of seeming serious.

How to Drink It

Neat first. It's balanced enough that water isn't needed and complex enough that you'd be throwing something away.

It makes a very good highball if you're in that mood, and it's forgiving in an old fashioned.

Pair It With

The gingerbread and chestnut side goes well with rich, sweet-savory food. Pork kakuni, unagi don, tebasaki with the glaze.

Try It at Juraku

Ichiro's Malt & Grain is on the whisky list at Izakaya Juraku, Lower East Side, and available by the bottle.