The New Product Radar
Chichibu 2026 UK releases (four expressions)
Venture Whisky · 1 October 2026 · Europe
Summary
Japanese craft distillery Chichibu lands four new expressions in the UK at once: Distillery II Hint of Sherry (the second release from the 2019-opened second distillery), Double Distilleries (the first-ever blend of Chichibu I and II single malts), The Peated 2026 (first standalone peated release since 2022, 50 PPM), and The London Edition 2026 (ninth UK-exclusive, with a glow-in-the-dark 'Warrior Series' label).
Why it matters
A small-scale Japanese distillery is now running a full UK portfolio strategy — proof that Japan's craft-whisky wave has matured from single trophy bottles into structured range architecture.
Rationale
Tagged Category for the four-expression drop — two distillery firsts (II Hint of Sherry, Double Distilleries) plus a peated return and a UK-exclusive edition, a complete range statement in one release.