One of the festival bottlings for WhiskyShine in Macau was a Saburomaru 2020 single cask. I was looking forward to trying this new name, and afterwards the good fellows at the Abyss Whisky Bar also provided me with their exclusive bottling and two officials.
Saburomaru is a Japanese distillery in Tonami, founded by the sake brewery Wakatsuru Shuzo which dates back to the 19th century. The distillery got its license to distill whisky in 1952, mainly because of post-war rice shortages. It was significantly refurbished in 2017 and it uses a patented cast copper-tin alloy single-coil still called the ZEMON still, designed in collaboration with a master craftsman of temple bells.
Saburomaru focuses on heavily peated whisky, but they also produce some unpeated single malt and other products like an Umeshu liqueur. Three of today’s whiskies have tarot card characters on the labels. As I understand it, each tarot character represents a certain distillate batch with identical parameters, so there can be different casks with the same tarot number. Saburomaru is a relatively new name but an exciting brand to keep an eye on.
Saburomaru 5 yo 2020 (59,6%, OB for WhiskyShine Macau 2025, heavily Islay peated malt, first-fill bourbon barrel #20083)
Nose: indeed a medicinal Islay style. There’s a mildly sooty coal note at the bottom, as well as light iodine and camphor. This mixes with smoked lemons and apples in the middle, a light vanilla and bright top notes of pine needles, juniper and fresh herbs. Then something lightly vegetal as well, like green pepper and sesame oil. Quite wide for the age, very fresh, and nicely oriental.
Mouth: rather bright and refreshing again. There’s a bit of green apple acidity and slightly sweeter peach, followed by a burst of smoky notes, maybe beechwood. Then a subtle saline note appears, along with a wee hint of eucalyptus / mint and pepper.
Finish: fairly long, still a little sooty, with a nice pepper / lemon combo and lots of ashes.
I’ve tried this three or four times in the past few days and it always delivers. Simply a very well made youngster and a great festival release. This was limited to 60 bottles on both days, I’m not sure whether you can still get bottles at this point.
Saburomaru 2020 IV ‘The Emperor’ (60,9%, OB for Abyss Whisky Bar 2024, first-fill bourbon barrel #200158, 179 btl. btl.)
Nose: this one feels a little more polished, with more yellow fruits, a dollop of honey, light coconut and mellow pastry notes (vanilla). Then hints of ripe banana, peach and tangerine peels – the bourbon oak shines through more. While some firm medicinal elements appear after a while (including bandages and small drops of antiseptics) the smoke itself is sharper and cleaner here.
Mouth: still a bit sweeter, on orchard fruits and lemons. Then white pepper and plenty of ashy notes appear. More salty notes, drops of herbal extracts (including a touch of bitterness) and drying hints of limestone. Some light savoury / leafy notes in the background.
Finish: medium, sweet / saline at first, later moving towards liquorice, vegetal ashes and herbal drops.
Another really good cask. Here the bourbon barrel has more to say, which means the typical oriental brightness may be capped ever so slightly. If you’re ever in Hong Kong, be sure to drop by the Abyss Whisky Bar. Score: 88/100
Now let’s take a break before we move to a lower ABV and a different vintage. In 2021 Saburomaru started to use aged ale yeast in addition to classic whisky yeast, in search of a thicker texture.
Saburomaru 2021 V ‘The Hierophant’ (48%, OB 2024, heavily peated)
Nose: slightly greener, with more apple and pear coming out, lime peel and subtle hints of green banana. Fresh mintiness, as well as sandalwood and a floral touch. Subtle peat smoke underneath, in a warming style, with little or no medicinal Islay elements. Subtle pepper.
Mouth: still not heavily peated, I’d say. There’s a nice wave of herbal tea, resinous elements and lots of citrus peels. Then a hint of long fruit, along with white pepper and juniper. Some echoes of fruits and oaky sweetness, but not much, making this one a little more vertical and austere at some point.
Finish: medium length, still peppery and herbal, with limited depth overall.
This was made with Highland peated malt, if I’m not mistaken, and that’s leaves its mark. Overall this is still nice and clean, but much more narrow. Score: 85/100
Saburomaru 2020+2021 VI ‘The Lovers’ (48%, OB 2024, Islay & Highland peated)
Nose: just a tad more on the sweet side now, including riper banana and a little smoked pineapple. Hints of vanilla. On the other hand there’s a light maritime note and iodine, including whiffs of the pine needles and oriental herbs that we liked so much in the WhiskyShine bottling.
Mouth: a nice mix of citrus and orchard fruits, along with grassy notes and some vegetal peat. Mild seaweed. Then some oaky sweetness sets in, along with herbs, roasted chestnut and a subtle earthiness towards the end.
Finish: medium length, combining sweet malty notes, ashes and a hint of walnut.
This one combines Highland peat and Islay peat. The added sweetness and the Islay elements increase the complexity. Another confirmation of the high standards at Saburomaru. Score: 87/100