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ICHIRO’S Malt Wine Wood Reserve

Original bottle illustration — Bacchus Global
ICHIRO’S MALT · VENTURE WHISKY · CHICHIBU, SAITAMA

ICHIRO’S MaltWine Wood Reserve

イチローズモルト ワインウッド リザーブ

Malt whiskies including Hanyu legacy stock and Chichibu whisky are finished in red-wine casks. At 46% ABV, this Japanese blended malt layers red fruit, bitter chocolate, spice and gentle tannin.

Japanese Blended Malt WhiskyNon-chill filtered · Natural colour
Category
Japanese Blended Malt Whisky
Composition
Hanyu / Chichibu malt
Finish
Red-wine casks
Filtration / colour
Non-chill / natural colour
ABV
46%
Volume
700 ml

Composition

Hanyu and Chichibu, joined through red-wine casks.

Multiple malt whiskies, including key malt from the closed Hanyu distillery and whisky from Chichibu, are brought together and finished in red-wine casks. Red fruit and tannin from the casks meet malt sweetness and oak.

Key maltHanyu Distillery
Chichibu maltChichibu Distillery
Red-wine cask finishFinished in red-wine casks

This page does not specify the origins or detailed composition of the wine casks, or the proportions of the component whiskies.

The confirmed core of the production is a vatting of malt whiskies followed by maturation in red-wine casks.
How it is made

Malt depth, layered with red fruit and tannin from wine casks.

01

Hanyu and Chichibu

The composition includes key malt from the closed Hanyu distillery and whisky from Chichibu.

02

Red-wine cask finish

The finish brings red fruit, chocolate and spice into the malt-led structure.

03

Non-chill filtered, natural colour

Natural colour and texture are retained without chill filtration or added colouring.

Taste profile

Red fruit, bitter chocolate and white pepper.

ICHIRO’S Malt Wine Wood Reserve sensory profile

Raspberry, blackberry and cassis meet orange peel, bitter chocolate, cinnamon and nuts. Gentle tannin and peppery spice give definition before a finish of brown sugar and oak.

Red fruitBitter chocolateWhite pepperCinnamonOak
How to serve

Explore the wine-cask character as the temperature changes.

Neat

Neat

Red fruit, chocolate, spice and oak can be followed most directly when served neat.

On the rocks

On the rocks

Cooling tightens sweetness and tannin while fruit and oak open more gradually.

Highball

Highball

Soda lightens the red fruit and spice while the 46% malt structure holds the drink together.

Because the whisky is non-chill filtered, haze or sediment may appear at low temperatures. This does not affect quality.
Food affinities

Four directions built on red fruit and tannin from the wine cask

The food affinities for ICHIRO’S Malt Wine Wood Reserve are not official pairings from the maker, but a reading drawn from the characteristics recorded on this page. Four directions are built around the red fruit and tannin, and the bitter chocolate and spice, that come from the red-wine cask finish.

Red fruit and tanninDuck breast jibuni (a Japanese simmered dish), larb pet (a spiced minced-duck salad), or grilled venison with a red-wine jus. The raspberry and cassis character from the red-wine cask meets the fat and tart red fruit of these dishes.
Bitter chocolate and white pepperBeef simmered in hatcho miso, massaman curry, or a steak finished with cracked black pepper. The bitter chocolate and peppery spice run in the same direction as these rich, spiced dishes.
Cinnamon and orange peelSweetened kumquat, moo hong (a Southern Thai pork stew scented with cinnamon), or a bitter-chocolate tart with candied orange peel. The cask’s cinnamon and citrus notes link with sweet-savoury braises and citrus-led desserts.
Nuts and an oak finishChestnuts simmered in their skins, gai pad met mamuang (cashew stir-fried chicken), or aged parmigiano with walnuts. The brown-sugar and oak finish sits in the same direction as roasted nuts.

A whisky’s aroma is shaped by the compounds carried from its raw materials and its casks, meeting the aroma, fat and sweetness of a dish. What follows is a structural reading of pairings where those aroma families run in the same direction, not a scientific claim about any single ingredient.

Pairing guide — Whisky

The maker

Reading each whisky clearly, then giving it form in Chichibu.

Venture Whisky Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004, and Chichibu Distillery began operating in 2008. Under Ichiro Akuto, distillation, maturation and blending are used to bring the character of each whisky into a coherent final profile.

Company founded2004
Chichibu distillery2008
Founder and blenderIchiro Akuto
CategoryJapanese Blended Malt Whisky
Maker recognition

Recognition associated with the maker.

The distinctions below were awarded to founder Ichiro Akuto. They are not awards for this specific product and are not presented as such.

2019
International Spirits ChallengeMaster Blender of the Year

Awarded to Ichiro Akuto.

2024
Whisky MagazineHall of Fame

Ichiro Akuto was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Related products

Compare different expressions from the same maker.

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