A “Getter Robo” Label ICHIRO’S MALT & GRAIN — Bar Zizz 30th Anniversary, and Connections Through Whisky

2026.10.05

In short: a “Getter Robo” label ICHIRO’S MALT & GRAIN — a world blend built on Chichibu peated malt, finished in ex-peated bourbon casks — made with WHISKY MEW for the 30th anniversary of Bar Zizz in Komoro, Nagano, the “home” of Getter Robo. Plus how Bar Little Happiness in Hiroshima connected with Bar Zizz through its 20th-anniversary “Traveling Lito” bottles, and a whisky friendship from Taiwan.

Getter Robo — on a whisky label?!

A giant robot on the whisky shelf.

Not something you see every day!!

“Getter Robo” label / ICHIRO’S MALT & GRAIN.

A world blended whisky from Chichibu Distillery, created in collaboration with WHISKY MEW to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Bar Zizz in Komoro, Nagano.

Getter Robo and Komoro

“Getter Robo” is a 1970s work.

Three machines combine and transform into three types — for air, land and sea.

It was a pioneer of the combining, transforming giant robot.

In the story, the Saotome Research Institute is set at the foot of Mount Asama.

And at the foot of that mountain is Komoro, Nagano.

I hear Komoro has even run official tourism collaborations as a “sacred place” for Getter Robo fans.

And the bar that planned this bottle is in Komoro too!

At its heart: Chichibu’s peated malt

The key malt is peated malt spirit from Chichibu Distillery.

It is blended with Scotch, Canadian, Irish and other whiskies to make a world blended whisky.

To finish, it was given additional maturation at Chichibu Distillery in 3rd-fill ex-peated bourbon casks.

An ex-peated bourbon cask is a cask that previously held peated whisky.

Some of the previous spirit remains in the wood, so this finish pulls it towards the peaty side once more.

Selected by an eight-time champion and…

The spirits were chosen by whisky critic Hideo Yamaoka and the owner of Bar Zizz.

The two of them visited Chichibu Distillery and made the selection together.

Mr Yamaoka has won nosing competitions abroad eight times.

WHISKY MEW, where Mr Yamaoka serves as supervisor, is a brand that keeps turning manga, anime, famous paintings and artworks into whisky labels.

It is a line-up you won’t regret buying just for the label!!

(↑ Image borrowed from the official website)

Official tasting notes

Nose A good balance of smokiness and maturity. Vanilla, honey, sawdust, mint ice cream, dried orange, wood chips.

Flavour Spicy and earthy. Kiln air, peat ash. Slightly powdery, cocoa powder. A long, smoky, waxy finish. With water, the spiciness increases.

Overall A properly peaty, full-bodied blend. Enjoy it neat, taking your time.

Kindly welcoming someone they had never met

From here, a story separate from the bottle.

This year, for our 20th anniversary, Little Happiness released the “Traveling Lito” series as anniversary bottles.

At the time, I thought, “Supplying bars is the way to reach the most people.”

The number of glasses I can pour at the Little Happiness counter is limited.

Having it in bars all over Japan would take it much further.

But I only wanted it in bars that fit the concept I had in mind.

So I approached them one by one.

Many bars said no.

Many never replied.

For bars I had somehow drifted apart from, where I felt it might be hard for them to say no if I asked, I deliberately did not ask — I just kept announcing it on social media until they contacted me themselves.

There were also many bars that approached me, which I turned down myself because I felt they did not fit this concept.

One of the bars I approached was Bar Zizz in Komoro.

A long-established bar in Komoro where the tasting event with Ian Chang was held the day before the Komoro Distillery festival.

Relying on that one connection alone, I gathered my courage and sent a DM.

A sudden message from someone in Hiroshima they had never met.

And they kindly said yes.

Ichiro’s Malt, Ian, and a bar in Komoro — that is how this connection came about.

And this is Bar Zizz’s 30th anniversary bottle!

I am so happy to be able to carry it!

Connected through whisky.

Maybe bars aren’t the only way to reach people

There is a whisky friend I met nearly 10 years ago at a whisky festival in Taiwan.

After that, we were only connected on social media.

Then a few years ago, across all that time, they came all the way to Hiroshima to see me.

I really wanted that person to have a Lito, so I sent them a DM.

And a friend of theirs came to Hiroshima to pick it up.

Then, I hear, they drank it in Taiwan together with their whisky friends.

A whisky friend I met in Taiwan is, 10 years later, opening a Little Happiness bottle in Taiwan.

At the Little Happiness counter too, there are guests who keep a Lito close and take photo after photo.

When a bottle is in the middle, people gather — and naturally become friends.

Maybe bars aren’t the only way to reach many people.

That is what I have come to think.

Because what I want is to share this joy and fun together.

A small community is fine.

Connections chaining on, one after another, through whisky.

Wanting it because it is rare.

Wanting it because it is delicious.

Those are things I am grateful for too.

But wanting it because it is a Little Happiness bottle —

nothing makes me happier than a Lito reaching people who say that.

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Notice: 20th anniversary bottling “Traveling Lito”

We plan to release the third “Traveling Lito” 20th anniversary bottling within this year.

The distillery name is still a secret!

This time, it is peated!

I decided to let it keep maturing over the summer, so the flavour should change again.

Above all, I want it to go to people I have a connection with.

If you have read this long blog all the way to the end, I think you are a rare kind of person.

Please register with our official LINE account, and when you visit, tell us “This is my account.”

If you have visited before, please send us a message with something that helps us remember you, like “I came around ___ and drank ___.”

I remember my whisky friends better than you might think.

If you live far away and can’t easily visit, or have been following us on social media for a long time, please tell us your account name too.

I remember the people who always support us, too.

We will add a priority tag for you.

→ Register with our official LINE account

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Every encounter is meant to be. Welcome to the world of Rum&Whisky.