Written by Mika Tanimoto, Owner-Bartender, Bar Little Happiness — Hiroshima’s specialist whisky & rum bar with 1,000+ bottles
The 20th anniversary of Ichiro’s Malt carries a particular emotional weight for everyone who has followed Japanese whisky over the past two decades. The brand’s origin story — the rescue of the Hanyu casks from destruction, the years of searching for distribution channels, the construction of Chichibu Distillery from the ground up — is one of the foundational narratives of the current Japanese whisky renaissance.
Where the Story Begins
When Hanyu Distillery was forced to close in the early 2000s, its mature whisky stocks — decades of carefully made single malt — were scheduled to be destroyed. Ichiro Akuto, the family’s heir, managed to save them with the help of a competitor who offered warehouse space with the words: “This would be a loss for the industry.” That act of professional generosity is part of what makes the Ichiro’s Malt story meaningful beyond its commercial success.
The Hanyu casks became the foundation of Ichiro’s Malt’s early reputation — particularly the Playing Card Series, each bottling using a different original cask and labelled with a playing card, which became one of the most sought-after series in Japanese whisky collecting.
What 20 Years Means
The 20th anniversary bottling brings together spirit from the Hanyu legacy and from Chichibu — the new distillery that Akuto built after the old one closed. This is not simply a commemorative release. It is a conversation between two versions of the same ambition, separated by two decades and the enormous change that Japanese whisky has undergone in that time.
Ichiro’s Malt expressions are available at Bar Little Happiness. Read the full Japanese column: little-happiness.jp/columns/ichirosmolt-20th/
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