Hanyu

Hanyu is a legendary name in Japanese whisky, originally founded in 1941 by the grandfather of Ichiro Akuto. Initially a sake brewery, it shifted to whisky production in the 1980s, employing traditional pot stills and incorporating Scottish methods. Though the distillery ceased operations in 2000, Ichiro Akuto preserved a number of casks and later released them under the iconic Ichiro’s Malt “Card Series,” which has since become a sensation in the global whisky auction scene.

Hanyu whiskies display a wide range of styles—from the rich spice of sherry casks to the soft fruitiness of bourbon casks—all rooted in precise distillation and careful aging. While the original distillery no longer exists, its legacy lives on through the Ichiro’s Malt brand, marking an important chapter in Japanese whisky history and holding a prized place in the hearts of collectors worldwide.