Mars Whisky

Sandwiched between Japan’s soaring Southern Alps and the towering Central Alps, at just over 2,600 feet, Mars Shinshu is Japan’s highest whisky distillery. The Hombo family have been distilling for more than a century and they added whisky to their repertoire in 1949. Back then the distillery was located inKagoshima Prefecture on the southern most island of Kyushu. Until 1984, it was the southernmost whisky made in Japan, which ended with the Hombo clan moving the distillery to the idyllic alpine setting of Miyada village in southern Nagano Prefecture. They chose this site for its cool temps, which slowed maturation, and the plentiful, soft, granite filtered snowmelt fed aquifers. Smart choice. The whiskies are elegant, smooth and very complex.
Tokiwa Masamune was the name of the family sake brewery in historic Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Yuno Hayashi’s grandfather, who owned the brewery, had a deep love of good food and drink which he passed on to his granddaughter. It is his admiration for fine beverages that propelled Yuno onwards along her journey with whisky and sake.

Legacy and Passion. These are the drivers that inspire Yuno’s pursuit of thought provoking Japanese beverages, and through Tokiwa Imports, she hopes to share them with you, the finest family owned whisky and sake from across Japan. Kanpai!