he Hombo family, owners of Mars whiskey, first took out a licence to distill whisky in 1949, although it is not until 1960 that they starts making whisky. And not in Kagoshima, but at a purpose build plant in Yamanashi. This is run by Kiichiro Iwai, who have been Masataka Taketsuru’s immediate superior at the turn of the century. And who is responsible for sending Taketsuru to Scotland in 1919 to learn how whisky is produce. Both men have work for a firm. Settsu Shozu, which have intention to build Japan’s first whisky distillery. Sadly, when Taketsuru returns from Scotland, the firm is in administration.

He goes to join Yamazaki, founded Nikka, and the rest is history. Iwai is a whisky man too, and when the plant in Yamanashi starts, Iwai uses Taketsuru’s original report to make his whisky. It is, unsurprisingly, heavy and smoky. Iwai is also responsible for the design of their pot stills and is consider a pioneer in the history and development of pot still whisky in Japan. He is one of only four Japanese listed in the Top 100 most influential people in the history of whisky in the world. Yamanashi runs for nine years and when production there switches over to wine, distilling move to Kagoshima. Locates in the south of Kyushu, where two tiny pot stills also makes heavy smoky whisky.

About Mars Distillery

In 1984, production is switch to the current Mars site in Nagano, high in the Japanese Alps, which have been chosen because of its altitude (to encourage slow maturation) and the availability of soft granite filter water.

A style change is also brought in. This Mars whiskey is to be light. The few casks from this period show it to be Japan’s sweetest whisky, fill with soft honey fruits. Unfortunately timing is bad, and this is the start of Japan’s great whisky crash, and Mars close in 1992. With the market opening up again, Mars re-opens in 2011.