Saburomaru’s Rum “MIZUNARUM CRYSTAL”｜The Bottle I’d Been Waiting For
2026.11.05
In short
- Saburomaru Distillery (Tonami, Toyama) released its rum “MIZUNARUM CRYSTAL — FIRST SIGNAL 2026” on October 29, 2026. The concept: “Daydream Tropical” (妄想トロピカル).
- Made from raw cane sugar from Ie Island, Okinawa, and molasses produced in Japan, it is distilled in the “ZEMON 2” still, aged in bourbon barrels, then filtered and decolorized with Toyama mizunara charcoal into a clear rum.
- Early this year, I was given a taste of the distillery’s rum on a visit. Here I write about how the finished rum tastes, the new direction I sensed in its playful bottle, and Saburomaru’s “cycle.”
My beloved Saburomaru Distillery has finally released a rum!!!
Early this year, when I visited Saburomaru Distillery, I heard they were making rum too, and they let me taste some.
When I told them, “This is already delicious,”
“Not yet — just a little more!!”
said President Takahiko Inagaki.
Ah, he’s still pushing further, I thought.
Ever since, I had been looking forward to the day Saburomaru’s rum would arrive as a finished product.
I’ve gathered the rums being made across Japan in my guide to Japanese rum distilleries.
What Is Saburomaru’s Rum “MIZUNARUM CRYSTAL”?
- Product: MIZUNARUM CRYSTAL — FIRST SIGNAL 2026 (ミズナラム クリスタル)
- Distillery: Saburomaru Distillery (Wakatsuru Shuzo, Tonami, Toyama)
- Ingredients: raw cane sugar from Ie Island, Okinawa; molasses produced in Japan
- Distillation: “ZEMON 2,” a still separate from the one used for whisky
- Aging: bourbon barrels
- Finish: filtered and decolorized with Toyama mizunara charcoal
The official tasting note describes “a refreshing coolness reminiscent of lemongrass and white peach, the rich sweetness of rum, and a robust body.” It is also recommended with soda or tonic, and in cocktails with fruit and herbs.
Tasting It
Tasting the finished rum, I found no harsh edge of alcohol — it’s very mellow.
A gentle richness spreads across the palate. Yet it has a firm backbone, so it holds up when mixed.
Simply top it with soda and squeeze in a little lemon, and it’s a pleasure!
The Saburomaru rum that was “not yet, just a little more” that day (though it already tasted plenty good to me) has now arrived as a bottle.
For me, after looking forward to it for so long, that alone is a happy event!!
Aged, Then Deliberately Made Clear
This rum is aged in bourbon barrels, then filtered and decolorized with mizunara charcoal to make it clear.
In the world of whisky and rum, the color that comes from cask aging is one of the charms that lets you feel the time a spirit has spent. Here, that color is deliberately taken away.
To be honest, when I learned it would be released as a white (clear) rum, I was surprised at first.
But when the bottle arrived and I saw it, it all made sense.
A pop design — a direction I had never associated with Saburomaru.
The label reportedly features imaginary stickers created by a new generation of creators with ties to Toyama.
And the concept is “Daydream Tropical” (妄想トロピカル). The official website explains that precisely because Hokuriku knows the cold, dark winters of the Sea of Japan, its longing for the tropics grows strong.
What a free and playful idea!
There is even a tie-in song, “Sunset Cocktail” (サンセット・カクテル), by ザ・おめでたズ (The Omedetaz), a hip-hop group formed in Toyama. From a spirit came music, then a video — a whole world spreading outward.
When you think of Saburomaru, you think of powerful, smoky whisky.
Beyond the people who love that whisky, Saburomaru is now reaching out to people who enjoy music and cocktails.
I sensed that this rum is aiming to create encounters with new customers.
Distilled in ZEMON 2
Another thing that intrigues me is “ZEMON 2.”
On my earlier visit, I was amazed by the story behind the development of ZEMON, the world’s first cast pot still.
What ideas went into making rum with it this time?
I want to see ZEMON 2!!!
The “Beautiful Cycle” I Saw at Saburomaru Lives in This Rum Too
When I visited Saburomaru Distillery before, one of the places that moved me most was the regenerative cooperage “Re:COOPERAGE.”
There, used casks are repaired so they can be used for aging again. Cask wood that has finished its role and can no longer be used for aging becomes firewood at the adjoining restaurant “Kamado Sumi Saburo,” fueling the kamado stoves that cook rice.
Wood that nurtured whisky for years ends up warming people’s meals. When I heard that, I was moved by what a beautiful cycle it is.
And this rum has that cycle too.
According to a liquor retailer’s product description, offcuts produced when making mizunara casks are turned into charcoal for filtration, and the casks that have finished aging the rum go on to age whisky.
Passing the value of materials and casks on to the next spirit. I was so happy to find that the cycle I saw at Saburomaru is built into a single bottle of rum.
I wrote in detail about the cooperage’s work, including cask-making with Toyama cattail, in Part 3 of my visit report.
A Hundred Years Ahead, and the Excitement of Now
In my earlier Saburomaru report, I wrote about the theme of “the future a hundred years ahead.”
President Inagaki talks a great deal about the business, but he says little about himself.
Even so — the development of the stills, the work of the cooperage, and now this new rum.
Each of them seems to me to express how he thinks.
Cherishing the skills and resources at hand, while connecting them to new value and new customers.
Preserving, while creating what comes next. I really love that way of thinking.
Looking a hundred years into the future, while making the present this much fun.
I want to go back to Saburomaru Distillery~~~
To everyone at Saburomaru Distillery: thank you so much for always showing me new worlds.
I’m looking forward to the day I can visit again 💛
Related Articles
What Is Japanese Rum? A Guide to Japan’s Rum Distilleries
Saburomaru Distillery｜The Edison of Japanese Whisky
ZEMON｜The World’s First Cast Pot Still, Made by Bell Founders
Re:COOPERAGE｜Japan Has Fewer Than 100 Coopers Left
Saburomaru｜He Went Door to Door to Fund a Distillery
Saburomaru｜Sea Peat, Land Peat, and a Hundred-Year Plan
[About the author]
Mika Tanimoto
CEO, Little.m Inc. / Owner-bartender
Since 2006, I have run Bar Little Happiness, a whisky and rum bar in Nagarekawa, Hiroshima. I visit distilleries in Japan and around the world and write about the people who make the spirits. Recipient of the Hiroshima City Excellent Skilled Worker Award.
“Whisky and rum taste even better when you know the hearts of the people who make them.”
[Visit the bar] 📍 Bar Little Happiness
Rolling Nagarekawa 1F, 5-14 Nagarekawa-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Mon–Sat 7:00 pm – 12:30 am / Sun 7:00 pm – 12:00 am (closed when I travel to visit distilleries)
No cover charge, no reservation needed
