Mars Komagatake Cask 5185 with Box

In 1985, Hombo Brewing (“Hombo Shuzo”), a Japanese “Shochu” maker from Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, founded the Shinshu Distillery in Miyata village in Nagano Prefecture as a base for the production of whisky and brandy. Production was sold under The brand name of Mars Whisky. The distillery, which used to produce whisky only during winter, as it also produced other distilled liquors such as brandy, halted its whisky production in 1992, due to sluggish demand. In 2011 production was resumed following the recovery of the whisky market first seen in 2007. The pot stills, moved from the Yamanashi Plant, were designed by Kiichiro Iwai, based upon the records left by Masataka Taketsuru, and, in fact, closely resemble the straight-head stills used at the Yoichi Distillery.