Chichibu Distillery operates two pot stills — the original still from the distillery’s founding in 2008, and a second still added as production expanded. Double Distilleries (DD) is the expression that specifically blends spirit from both stills: a comparison of two different cut points, fermentation approaches, and still geometries within the same distillery, representing Ichiro Akuto’s most transparent exploration of his own production range.
Why Two Stills Matter
Even within a single distillery, different still shapes produce different spirit characters. Chichibu’s two stills are not identical — the new still has different dimensions, affecting reflux and the balance of heavier versus lighter compounds that make it through to the final spirit. Double Distilleries makes this visible in the glass: guests can taste how two stills in the same place, using the same water and barley, produce subtly different results — and how they integrate when blended.
Mika’s Perspective
I find DD renewal one of the most useful educational bottles in the Ichiro’s Malt range — precisely because it makes the internal diversity of a single distillery audible. For guests who want to understand what “house style” means and what it masks, Double Distilleries is a transparent window into that question. Available at Bar Little Happiness. Read the original Japanese column: https://little-happiness.jp/columns/ichiros-malt-chichibu-dd-renewal/
Bar Little Happiness | Hiroshima, Japan
Rum & Whisky specialists | 1,000+ bottles | English menu available
Open Mon–Sat 7PM–12:30AM, Sun 7PM–midnight
No cover charge. Walk-ins welcome.
english.little-happiness.jp