Kanosuke x Saburomaru – Kanosuke Collaboration Series 01

The first release in the Kanosuke Collaboration Series brings together two Japanese distilleries with contrasting histories and styles: Kanosuke Distillery in Hioki, Kagoshima (southern Japan), and Saburomaru Distillery in Tonami, Toyama (north‑western Japan). Kanosuke, operated by Komasa Jyozo, is rooted in a long‑established shochu‑making tradition and began full‑scale whisky production in 2017. Saburomaru, originally founded as a sake brewery in 1862, was revitalised as a whisky distillery in 2017 under its fifth‑generation distiller, Takahiko Inagaki.

This collaboration was made possible through a cask‑exchange programme between the two distilleries. The Kanosuke‑side release, led by Master Blender Yoshitsugu Komasa, is built around Kanosuke’s own spirit as the foundation, with Saburomaru’s peated malt layered on top to add depth and complexity. It is paired with Saburomaru’s simultaneous bottling, “Saburomaru Ryuko – DOUBLE DISTILLERY – SABUROMARU × KANOSUKE”, which takes the opposite approach by centring Saburomaru’s character with Kanosuke’s mellow spirit in support. Together, the two releases offer distinctly different perspectives drawn from the same exchanged casks.

The concept behind this release is “Mellow Meets Peated.” Kanosuke’s mellow, fruit‑forward whisky — nurtured by the distillery’s warm coastal climate in southern Kagoshima — forms the core of the blend. Saburomaru’s heavily peated spirit, known for its bold and well‑defined smokiness, is woven in to provide structure and a peated dimension without overpowering the base. The result is a whisky in which Kanosuke’s signature smoothness and fruity character remain clearly at the centre, while the peat adds layers rather than dominates.

On the nose, bright citrus and tropical fruit — grapefruit, lychee and green apple — come forward alongside a gentle coastal breeze, reflecting Kanosuke’s house style. The palate brings honey, citrus sweetness, vanilla and passion fruit, with spice and a subtle iodine note adding complexity from Saburomaru’s contribution. The finish is softly smoky, with peat integrating naturally into the fruity, coastal character rather than asserting itself independently.

While Saburomaru is one of the few Japanese distilleries specialising in heavily peated whisky, Kanosuke typically produces unpeated spirit. This asymmetry is central to what makes this collaboration distinctive: rather than a straightforward meeting of equals, each distillery’s release tells the story from its own perspective. For those familiar with Kanosuke’s single malt expressions, this bottling offers a new dimension — the familiar mellow and fruity profile enriched by a carefully measured peated influence from one of Japan’s most characterful smoky distilleries.