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From 0 to 1. A change and a new step, a transformation, a skill, a new stage are the keywords of Saburomaru 1.

In 2018, Saburoumaru Distillery took a new step forward by replacing its half-century-old homemade mash tun with a state-of-the-art mash tun from Miyake Manufacturing.

The label design is based on Tarot cards (consisting of 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana), and the number 1 of the 22 Major Arcana, “THE MAGICIAN” was chosen for the label to signify a new step forward. The first of the 22 Major Arcana, THE MAGICIAN, is used on the label to signify”a new step forward. 

This cask strength version is a rare whisky, limited to 360 bottles, which were sold by lottery to members only at Wakatsuru Shuzo’s online store “Me and ALC” and to visitors to Saburomaru Distillery on the day of its release on November 29.

The Bottle

53PPM, heavy duty peaked

The saccharification process using a new mash tun made by Miyake Manufacturing will result in a smoother, mellower sake with less miscellaneous flavors.

Two yeasts, ale yeast and whiskey yeast, are used, and hollow fermentation is carried out for three days. The malt used is hebly peated malt (53 ppm).
While retaining the strong peat and maltiness that makes this so smoky, it also expresses the acidity of the fruit. The taste is well-defined.

The cask strength version is 63% alcohol by volume, and the regular version is 48% alcohol by volume, which makes this bottle more powerful and richer in malt than the regular version.

*Limited to 360 bottles.

Our Take

Saburoumaru Distillery was reborn after a crowdfunding campaign in 2016 and renovation work in 2017 with the funds from the campaign.

Since then, the distillery has been upgrading year by year, with the introduction of a new mash tun in 2018, a new pot still in 2019, and a wooden vat fermenter in 2020. The quality of the sake produced seems to be getting better every year, so the expectations are immeasurable.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the single malt Saburoumaru will taste when it is released next year.

In addition, Mr. Inagaki, the blender and manager of Sabromaru Distillery, started a bottlers business called “T&T TOYAMA” together with Mr. Shimono of the single malt mail-order company Moltoyama. It is attracting a lot of attention as the world’s first Japanese whisky bottlers business.
When I visited the distillery, I talked to him, and he was a very active person with a strong passion for monozukuri. I’m looking forward to seeing what he has in store for us next.

(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)

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