Cuvée presentation
Donated by Chichibu
In 2025, the Japanese distillery Chichibu unveiled a new series of four previously unreleased single casks, the result of a unique encounter between whisky, art and gastronomy. For this collection, the distillery partnered with artist Yoshiya Hongo and two-star chef Shinichi Sato, to combine visual creativity and culinary experience.
Each expression in this series reflects a creative dialogue that was inspired by tasting notes devised by the head chef of Blanc restaurant – crowned with two Michelin stars just a few months after opening in Autumn 2024 – and Yoshiya Hongo designed abstract aluminium sculptures that convey the aromatic and flavour profiles of the four selected whiskies. The collection includes a peated and unpeated duo aged in a bourbon barrel, one version from an Oloroso sherry barrel, and lastly a limited edition bottle aged in a local cider barrel – a first for Chichibu.
The artist then went to the distillery, which is located in the Saitama Prefecture, to showcase his works in the very heart of their inspirational environment. The sculptures engage with four elements that are essential to the production of Chichibu single malt: barley, the raw material for the spirit; fire, essential for toasting the casks; the earth of the cellars; and finally the sky, symbolising the angels' share.
Called In the Wake of Silence, this series embodies a poetic celebration of the art of tasting, where the expressive power of each sculpture combines with gastronomic excellence and Chichibu’s whisky expertise.
The lot presented here is unique. It joins the first bottles drawn from each of the four single casks, all adorned with unreleased labels created for the occasion and decorated with circular aluminium sculptures specially designed by Yoshiya Hongo. True works of art, these pieces are unique and will never be reproduced. Each sculpture hugs the shape of the bottle and transforms it as an artistic object in its own right. They are accompanied by hand-made kiribako wood boxes. This lot - a combination of unique bottles, with unique sculptures, in unique boxes - assures undoubtedly one of the highest ever values offered at a Chichibu auction.
Signed by the artist and by Ichiro Akuto, the master distiller at Chichibu, these creations transcend the simple world of whisky: they build an exceptional set where each element– spirit, label, sculpture and box– participates in a complete work.
The distillery Chichibu
Japan, Saitama. Distillery operational. Owner: Venture Whisky.
Independent & family-ownedIt was in 2007 that Ichiro Akuto, grandson of the founder of the Hanyu distillery, built a new distillery in the north-west of Tokyo, in Saitama Prefecture. Named Chichibu, it brought to a close several decades marked by the closure of numerous production sites, and enabled Ichiro Akuto to renew his family's history of expertise. Despite its small size (production capacity of 80,000 LPA/yr), Chichibu quickly drew attention and became highly sought-after. It was under the name “New Born” that Ichiro sold exclusively his malt for three years. In 2011, the first edition of a small batch Chichibu named The First was released (7,400 bottles). It was immediately welcomed by distributors and the world's whisky enthusiasts, putting Chichibu on the fast-track to becoming a distillery with strong potential as a collectible. Since then, Ichiro has released numerous single casks to respond to consumer demand, increasing the distillery's appeal among collectors.
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