Shinshu Distillery

Sitting between Japan’s Southern and Central Alps on the island of Kyushu, Shinshu Mars distillery can rival any Scottish counterpart for its stunning vistas. But there are practical considerations for its location as well. The highest distillery in Japan at 798m, the cool temperatures and low humidity at this altitude help slow the maturation process.

Hombo Shuzo, the founders of Shinshu, are a Japanese beverage company which has been around since 1872. For decades the company was primarily a shochu maker, a Japanese rice or barley spirit. But they became involved in the whisky business in 1949. At first they weren’t involved in the production themselves, but began distilling malt whisky in 1960. For years there was no single location for this production, but that changed in 1985 with the opening of Shinshu distillery.

Due to a downturn in the market the distillery was mothballed in 1992, and didn’t reopen until 2011. This has left a hole in their production, and bottlings from before that time are highly prized for their long maturation, still a rarity among Japanese whiskies. Not long after dusting off the old equipment Shinshu got a much needed upgrade, replacing the original stills with a new pair built to the same design. In 2018 three new wooden washbacks were added as well.

The distillery produces a mixture of spirit characters including both unpeated and peated. The peated spirits are made to a variety of strengths at 3.5, 20, and 50ppm which allows for a significant amount of control over the level of smoke in the whisky. Currently the distillery has eight washbacks, five of which are their original cast iron variety, and three of which are Douglas Fir. Water for the distillery comes from crystal clear snowmelt streams running from Mt Komagatake. The distillery has an annual production capacity of 90,000 litres of spirits.

As well as onsite maturation, since 2014 some of the spirits produced each year have been sent to Tsunuki in Kagoshima and Yakushima Island to see how the different climates there affect the maturation of the spirits.

Whisky produced at Shinshu is released under the Mars brand, with their single malts also adding Komagatake to the name. The distillery doesn’t have a core range or bottling, but has put our multiple limited editions which can prove highly experimental. Some of these are more regular than others however, such as the Komagatake Nature of Shinshu series which focuses on local botanicals in its character. The third edition, the Shinanotanpopo, or ‘dandelion flower’, is made from spirits aged in ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry, and White Oak casks. A floral whisky, it carries light fruity and spicy notes.

The latest release is the Mars Komagatake 2018 edition. This is a vatting of both peated and unpeated spirits which was matured in American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels and bottled at 48% strength. This gives a complex character which is both floral and smoky, with hints of citrus and orchard fruit.