Nose: Dry Sherry, earthy, mushrooms, pine, leather, timber, blueberry. Water reveals a floral note.
Palate: Needs a little water to open up. Dry sherry, oranges, cloves, papaya and dry oak. Extra water reveals some cocoa, sugared fruit jubes and cola.
Finish: Medium on rhubarb, sugared fruit jubes, cocoa, a little dry oak then minty.
Lacks the depth of the best sherried whiskies.

Hanyu Distillery was located in a town bearing its name on the banks of the Tone river. The original company was founded from a family business originally established in 1626 by the Akuto family, sake-makers in the town of Chichibu. Isouji Akuto, the 19th generation of the Akuto family, built a factory in Hanyu city, north-west of Tokyo, in 1941 to produce alcohol and obtained a licence to do so in 1946.


In 1980, serious attempts to produce a Scotch whisky-type product began and two pot stills were obtained. At the time, consumer demand was for blended whisky rather than single malt. Since then there has been a worldwide shift towards single malts and in 1990 Chichibu whisky was launched, named after the place where the sake was originally produced. It had two steam-heated stills and a continuous still, along with a Sake brewery.


Unfortunately it stopped making whisky in 2000, with the pot stills and distilling equipment dismantled in 2004. The grandson of the founder, Ichiro, purchased the mature stock and distilling facilities and hopes one day to start a new distillery. A dream that he is currently realising with his creation of the Chichibu Distillery.


<a href="/distilleries/the-hanyu-distillery">Read more about the Hanyu distillery here!</a>