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Chichibu Distillery started producing its famous whiskey in 2008, and although it is still young, Chichibu Distillery is already ranked among the top among whiskey lovers. The distillery is owned by Venture Whiskey Ltd., which was established in 2004 by Ichiro Akuto in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, about 100 kilometers from Tokyo.
Ichiro Akuto was born into a family with a history of brewing sake for over 300 years. In 1945, Ichiro Akuto's grandfather also decided to start distilling whiskey. Ichiro Akuto's father, he ran the Hanyu distillery until the end of the century when Japan's economy was in trouble. At the time, sake was not at the top of the shopping list, and the family had to sell the sake business and Hanyu Brewery. The buyer at that time was not interested in their remaining 400 barrels of whiskey, but Akuto did not want these treasures to go to waste because of Hanyu's collapse. He seized the opportunity, left 400 casks, and established Venture Whiskey Ltd in 2004. Chichibu Brewery started production in 2008. Today, the natural environment, seasonal characteristics and high-quality water provide perfect conditions for the brewery.
At Chichibu Distillery, it is believed that natural processes, natural color and non-chill filtration produce a very pure whiskey. Each year they produce approximately 90,000 liters of the precious spirit. About one-third of production is shipped to international markets, mainly to the United Kingdom, France and Taiwan. Once Chichibu whiskey is put on the market, it tends to sell out within a few days, making it difficult to find for the casual buyer.
The demand presented by the market is huge, and although Chichibu wants to comply, it will never do so at the expense of quality. The company's stated goal is to maintain its special position in the market by continuing to produce whiskey with a very special taste. This ultimately requires expanding barley production to achieve slow and balanced growth effects. In this way, Chichibu Distillery can better obtain the high-quality resources required for its high-quality whiskey.
Every year, the Chichibu Distillery processes more than 150 tons of malted barley, most of which is imported from England, Scotland, and a small amount from Germany. Today, about 10 to 15 percent of the barley required is grown by local farmers, and Ichiro Akuto hopes the business will grow in the future to produce increasingly pure Japanese whiskey. Chichibu only spends a quarter of the year producing peated whiskey, and the remaining three-quarters is devoted to the production of non-peated whiskey.
After a comprehensive inspection of the malt through the inspection table, the malt is sent to the malt crusher through a transportation pipeline. Chichibu's rolling mill was equipped with four steel rollers. In order to obtain consistent quality malt (also known as grain), the distance between the steel rollers can also be adjusted to suit various climatic conditions due to significant local climate changes.
After that, the ground grains are put into the mash barrel and slowly cooked in hot water to convert the starch into sugar and ferment it. The mash barrel made of stainless steel with a wooden lid can hold 2,400 liters of wine, but only 2,000 liters of wine were filled in order to prevent overflow. Chichibu runs three loops in its mash tun, separating the third wash and reusing it for the next first wash, which ultimately increases the sugar content of the mash. The mash flows from the barrel down through the heat exchanger to the fermenter. Chichibu has an impressive eight fermentation tanks, all made of a very specific (and expensive) wood: Mongolian oak, or Japanese oak, which adds a special aroma to Chichibu whiskey. Fermentation takes about four days and is more conducive to fermentation through Mizunara (water barrel) material, which allows lactose to ferment stably, thereby providing Chichibu whiskey with a unique fruity aroma.
Chichibu Distillery’s two pear-shaped copper pot stills were invented by Forsyth of Elgin, Scotland. Each still holds approximately 2,000 liters of water and has no compression pieces or return bowls. The distillate enters directly into the condenser and then passes through a downward-sloping Lane arm of only moderate length. Both of these processing characteristics help Chichibu's experts seek out the rich flavor.
Next, the distillate flows into the spirits safe. Here, it is divided into beer and low-alcohol wine. From here, the low-alcohol spirit flows to the spirit still, where the flavor of whiskey is created. In spirits distillation, the center of the distillate is separated from the heads and tail. In Chichibu, brewers are already tasting the distillate by this time. This may be unusual, but this way they ensure they end up with the flavor they want to achieve.
Chichibu Brewery has four dunnage material warehouses and is preparing to open a fifth dunnage warehouse to store the growing number of wine barrels. As of today, there are more than 4,000. Dunnage warehouses are built in a very specific way, with walls of natural stone or brick, earth floors and slate roofs. They also have low ceilings, with room for only three or four tiers of barrels stacked directly above. All of these features help keep temperatures low, as well as keeping the climate warm and humid - ideal for slow-maturing whiskies. This is a very costly process, plus the barrels must be moved manually.
Chichibu Distillery produces a variety of whiskeys and therefore uses a variety of barrels. Most whiskey is matured in bourbon (Bourbon) whiskey casks, but there are also rum casks, sherry casks, wine casks, port casks, tequila casks, maraschino casks, and don't forget it's made in Mizunara New oak barrels, also known as Japanese oak, or American oak, French oak, etc. Of course, Venture Whiskey Company is constantly conducting research to find out which casks are best suited for a given range of whiskeys.
Contact Us
Anthony : 9889 6693
Ricky : 6992 9640
Timothy/ Harry : 5703 9430 /
8481 0807
Showroom Address (Terroir)
Flat O, 15/F, Shield Industrial Centre, 84-92 Chai Wan Kok Street, Tsuen Wan, N.T.
(Business Hour: Monday - Saturday: 10:00 - 18:00 , Sunday & PH: Close)
Lunch Hour : 12:50-14:00 (No pick up services during lunch hour)
Self Pick & Wedding Wine Tasting, by appointment
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“Under the law of Hong Kong, intoxicating liquor must not be sold or supplied to a minor in the course of business.”
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Recipient must be over 18 years old.
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