#79 Yumi Yoshikawa - Chichibu Distillery, Ichiro Akuto, Japanese Whisky, Mizunara Oak, Floor Malting, Scotch Whisky

Yumi Yoshikawa is the global brand ambassador for Chichibu Distillery, the small operation in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, which has become the most celebrated whisky producer in the world.

We map out the full picture: two malt distilleries in Chichibu and a brand-new grain distillery that started production in Hokkaido in January 2026, before going deep into what actually happens at Distillery I — the multi-origin barley programme, the floor malting Ichiro Akuto spent years visiting England to learn, the Mizunara oak washbacks and the lactic bacteria they bring to every fermentation, and the switch to direct fire at Distillery II that Ichiro always wanted but waited a decade to attempt.

We discuss cask management and work through an extraordinary range of wood: bourbon, sherry, wine, cognac, rum, Madeira, port, IPA beer, tequila and the occasional grappa cask. We taste three whiskies together, including the first UK pour of the Distillery II single malt, an unreleased Double Distilleries blend, and a cask sample straight from the warehouse — seven years old, local Japanese barley, 59.4%, 100% Mizunara Oak — that has no right to taste as good as it does.

We also cover Ichiro's story: 21 generations of brewing, the loss of Hanyu, the rescue of 400 casks and the two years he spent visiting 2,000 bars across Japan to build support for a distillery he hadn't yet opened.

Yumi's own journey closes things out: a bartender who cycled around Scotland with her CV, worked at The Highlander Inn in Craigellachie alongside a young Tatsuya Minagawa, negotiated simultaneous seasons at both The Highlander and Bruichladdich, and joined Chichibu in 2013

With thanks to our sponsors:

Fever-Tree Mixers for the best fizzy liquids going

Belvedere for additive free, organic Polish vodka

🥃 Get 15% off the world's best drinking vessels at ⁠Denver & Liely⁠ using the discount code CURIOUS15 at checkout

☕ Get 15% off the best coffee liqueur I have tried at ⁠Algebra Drinks ⁠with code CURIOUS15

📷 ⁠Follow me on Instagram⁠

📚 I've written ⁠quite a few books⁠ on spirits and cocktails