Chichibu US Edition 2026 Japanese Whisky

Price

$249.95

✔ Authenticated by the house — seal, fill level, and label inspected before release
✔ Documented provenance on every bottle
✔ Climate-safe, collector-grade packaging

Age: | Region: Chichibu, Saitama, Japan | Proof: 105

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

This Is a Preorder Item

Ordering other bottles with it? The full order may be held so everything ships together once this release arrives.

Casks

Red Wine Casks

5–10

Years in Cask

Years on Average

52.5%

ABV

105

Proof

Three California red wine casks, from different wineries, sit among the mostly first-fill bourbon barrels of Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The US Edition 2026 — sixteen casks in all, holding whisky five to ten years old and six on average. A single peated cask adds a light smoke, and the ninth US Edition is bottled at 52.5% ABV, 105 proof, in a 700 mL bottle.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

Mostly first-fill bourbon. High Road Spirits names first-fill bourbon barrels as the main wood of the 2026 vatting, the bulk of its sixteen casks.

Three California red wine casks. Three of the sixteen casks had held California red wine, at different wineries.

One peated cask. The importer lists a light peat component: one cask of peated whisky, there for a measure of smoke.

Five to ten years, six on average. The whiskies in the vatting range from five to ten years old and average six; the bottle carries no age statement.

Two dogs at the bar. The label sets two dogs at a bar, each with a glass of whisky, beside a bearded man with a topknot who holds the bottle; on the 2025 label Mark Twain raised the dram.

Nº 02

Two Dogs and a Stone Bridge

The 2026 label

Through a tall window behind the bar, a long stone bridge of repeated arches crosses a river beneath a city skyline, and THE US EDITION 2026 is lettered across the sky with a small crown over its first word. At the bar a bearded man with a topknot, seen from behind with a tattooed forearm, holds a bottle while two dogs keep him company — a big yellow dog in a red collar and a small shaggy black-and-white one — with a glass of whisky set before each. 秩父, Chichibu in Japanese, is brushed in black across the right of the scene; the Ichiro's Malt emblem, an acorn between two leaves, sits in gold at lower left; and a gold frame holds the picture under a white band bearing the name.

Nº 03

Cask Composition

Sixteen casks in the vatting

First-fill bourbon

Bourbon barrels

The main wood of the sixteen.

California

Red wine casks

Three, from different wineries.

Peat

One peated cask

Peated whisky, for a light smoke.

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Importer's note & position

Sensory Profile

Orchard and tropical fruit run through High Road Spirits' tasting note for the 2026 edition: green apple, banana, blackberry, vanilla, honey and yellow peach on the nose; pear, plum, guava, apricot, pineapple candy and raisins on the palate. The finish, by the same note, is soft and juicy, with the fruit staying on.

Strategic Position

For a third straight year the US Edition comes in at 52.5%, matching 2024 and the Mark Twain edition of 2025, and for a third year it is drawn from sixteen casks. The wood is what changes: California red wine casks take the place of that edition's IPA and imperial stout casks, and where the 2025 malt was lightly peated, High Road Spirits names one peated cask for 2026.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

→

Gold where 2025 had navy

The frame around the picture is gold this year, where the 2025 label's was navy, and the name band above it is white rather than cream.

→

700 mL since 2021

High Road Spirits lists the 2026 edition at 700 mL, the bottle size of every US Edition since the 2021 release.

Collector IndexUS EDITION 2026

Brand: Ichiro's Malt
Distillery: Chichibu, Saitama, Japan
Edition: The US Edition 2026
Casks: First-fill bourbon · California red wine
Peat: Light — one peated cask
Strength: 52.5% ABV · 105 Proof

For other bottlings to compare with this one, browse Japanese whisky from Saitama and beyond.

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Class	Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Brand	Ichiro's Malt
Distillery	Chichibu Distillery
Region	Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Edition	The US Edition 2026, ninth of the annual US Editions
Peat	Light peat component — one peated cask
Cask / Barrel	First-fill bourbon barrels and California red wine casks
Casks	Sixteen, three of them California red wine casks
Age	Components aged 5 to 10 years, averaging six
Still	Copper pot
ABV	52.5%
Proof	105
Format	700 mL

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Production Methodology

Distilled in copper pot stills at Chichibu, in Saitama Prefecture, the spirit for the 2026 US Edition spent five to ten years — six on average — in sixteen casks: mostly first-fill bourbon barrels, three California red wine casks, and one cask of peated whisky among them. The vatting went into 700 mL bottles at 52.5% ABV, with no age statement on the label.

Authentication & Vault Preservation

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is on the Chichibu US Edition 2026 label?

The Chichibu US Edition 2026 label shows two dogs at a bar — a big yellow dog in a red collar and a small shaggy black-and-white one — each with a glass of whisky, beside a bearded man with a topknot who holds the bottle. Behind them a stone bridge of many arches crosses a river below a city skyline, with THE US EDITION 2026 lettered across the sky under a crown.

Does Chichibu The US Edition 2026 use red wine casks?

Yes. Ichiro's Malt vatted Chichibu The US Edition 2026 mostly from first-fill bourbon barrels, together with California red wine casks from different wineries. A peated cask among them gives the whisky a light smoke, and it is bottled at 52.5% ABV.

Is Chichibu The US Edition 2026 peated?

Lightly. High Road Spirits, the edition's importer, lists a light peat component for Chichibu The US Edition 2026, supplied by a peated cask in a vatting built mainly on first-fill bourbon barrels and California red wine casks. The 2025 US Edition, by comparison, was made from lightly peated malt.

What proof is Chichibu The US Edition 2026?

At 52.5% alcohol by volume, Chichibu The US Edition 2026 comes to 105 proof — the strength of the 2024 and 2025 US Editions as well. Ichiro's Malt bottles it in a 700 mL size with no age statement; the whiskies inside range from five to ten years old.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Ichiro's Malt Chichibu · The US Edition 2026

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Ichiro's Malt Chichibu

The Elemental Distinction

Two Dogs and a Stone Bridge