Saburomaru Distillery announced the lottery sale of a new product “Single Malt Saburomaru II 70th Anniversary Spanish Oak” on the official Saburomaru Distillery Twitter page.
The lottery sales are limited to members of the “Me and ALC.” online store.
“ZEMON” distilled single malt whisky, single cask aged for more than 3 years in new Spanish oak barrels. It is a heavy peated type, 50ppm.
Lottery registration for “Single Malt Saburomaru II 70th Anniversary Spanish Oak” has started at 12:00 on Monday, February 20 at the Wakatsuru Brewery online store “Me and ALC”.
1. About lottery applications
Lottery applications are now open to “Me and ALC” members only. Click here for the application form.
Registration as a member of “Me and ALC” is required. ALC member’s customer ID is required at the time of application. Click here for the member application page.
There are 6 questions on the quiz, which are very difficult as usual for the Saburomaru Distillery lottery application.
The winning ratio seems to change according to the number of correct answers. It seems that the more you answer all the questions correctly or the more difficult the questions are, the higher the percentage of winning.
*There is a “Food & Beverage restaurant lottery quota”.
There is a lottery for “Food & Beverage Establishments” in addition to the regular lottery.
When applying as a food and beverage restaurant, you need to fill in the name of your restaurant on the application form.
Application period: Monday, February 20, 12:00 – Sunday, February 26, 23:59
About the winners: Only winners will be notified of their selection and purchase information to the e-mail address they entered in the application form from 10:00 a.m. on March 3. *Sequential shipments from March 4 (Sat.).
2. Single Malt Saburomaru II 70th Anniversary Spanish Oak
In July 1952, Wakatsuru Shuzo Saburomaru Distillery obtained a license to produce whisky. It began with the challenge of a new distilled spirit by his great-grandfather Kotaro Inagaki in the midst of the tight postwar rice shortage. Since its founding, the distillery has focused on smoky whisky with peat, and this year marks the 70th anniversary of the distillery. We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to all of you for your support over the years. This whisky was specially bottled as a single cask from new Spanish oak casks to commemorate our 70th anniversary. It has a deep ruby reddish amber color, rich and aromatic, with a long smoky finish.
Takahiko Inagaki, Saburomaru DistilleryReference: Limited Whisky “Saburomaru I for Levo” on sale｜How to apply for lottery purchase
| Product name | Single Malt Saburomaru II 70th Anniversary Spanish Oak | |
| Sake by | Single malt Japanese whisky | |
| Ingredients | Malt (Heavily Peated 50PPM) | |
| Cask type | New Spanish oak vats | |
| Number of bottles | 594 bottles | |
| Number of bottles | 59% | |
| Price | 24,200 yen (tax included) | |
| Manufactured at | Saburomaru Distillery | |
| Producer | Wakatsuru Shuzo Co. | |
3. About Saburomaru Distillery
The only distillery in Hokuriku, established in 1952.
Amidst the postwar rice shortage, the distillery obtained a license to produce whisky in 1952. Since then, they have been brewing sake in winter and distilling whisky during the rest of the year. They make 200 bottles of whisky a year. Plans are underway to make 300 bottles in the future.
Since the beginning, they have been focusing on smoky whisky, using Islay peated malt and recently peated malt from Toyama Prefecture. To preserve the natural flavor, no cooling filtration or coloring is used.
In 2018, we installed a state-of-the-art mash tun from Miyake Seisakusho.
In 2019, we collaborated with a local company, Oigo Seisakusho, to develop a cast pod still, “ZEMON”.
In 2020, one wooden vat fermenter was installed.
The main difference from other distilleries is the use of “ZEMON”, the world’s first cast pod still.
There are three major features.
(1) The casting method enables molding with a mold for quick delivery. Also, it is possible to add sufficient wall thickness at a low cost, which increases the service life of the bottle.
(2) Free molding by the casting method allows for various types of sake quality. Also, by unitizing the parts, it is possible to replace only worn parts or expand the functions.
(3) Made of a copper-tin alloy containing about 90% copper and 8% tin. Tin is a high-grade metal that is traded at about three times the price of copper.
Tin has been used since ancient times to mellow the taste of sake and has been used in sake vessels and shochu coolers. ZEMON contributes to the production of high quality spirits through the dual effects of copper and tin.
Reference: Wakatsuru Shuzo official website
4. Single malt whiskies released by Saburomaru Distillery in the past
4-1. Single Malt Saburomaru 2019 3 years T&T TOYAMA COLLECTION
https://en.jpwhisky.net/2023/02/23/saburomaru2019_toyama_collection-2/
4-2. Single Malt Saburomaru II THE HIGH PRIESTESS
https://en.jpwhisky.net/2022/12/27/saburomaru_second-2/
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
