Saburomaru Ryuko: A Rare Smoky Japanese Whisky | Bar Little Happiness
2026.6.21
Mellow Meets Peated: Saburomaru “Ryuko” — A Rare Smoky Japanese Whisky
When most people picture Japanese whisky, they think of something gentle and elegant. But Japan also makes smoky, heavily peated whisky — and one of the most exciting examples is a bottle called “Ryuko.” What happens when two opposites meet in a single glass? That question is the heart of this whisky.
Two Distilleries, One Bottle
“Ryuko” is the first-ever collaboration between two Japanese distilleries: Saburomaru, in Toyama, and Kanosuke, in Kagoshima. Both are young makers from the same generation — each took its first serious step into whisky in 2017. And both grew from older roots: Saburomaru began as a sake brewery, Kanosuke as a shochu distillery.
Their characters are opposites. Saburomaru is powerful and smoky. Kanosuke is mellow, with a hint of sea breeze. For this project, the two makers swapped their spirit and each finished a bottle of their own. This one — Saburomaru’s “Ryuko” — is built on Saburomaru’s signature smokiness, with Kanosuke’s mellow sweetness layered over it. Saburomaru’s heavily peated spirit, matured in bourbon and roasted casks, married with Kanosuke’s unpeated, bourbon-matured spirit. Two opposites, balanced into one.
Why This Bottle Matters
There’s something here that goes beyond flavor. In Scotland, distilleries have long traded spirit with one another — combining casks from many places to build complex blends. In Japan, that kind of exchange has been rare. Each distillery usually creates complexity on its own, crafting many styles of spirit in-house. So when two Japanese distilleries swap spirit, it means something.
Over the past decade, Japan has grown to more than 100 whisky distilleries. Tatsuhiko Inagaki, the president of Saburomaru, hopes this bottle is a beginning: that fans of one distillery will come to know the other, and that makers will keep reaching across the old boundaries. What lies beyond, in his words, is “a world of whisky as layered and diverse as Scotch.”
Dragon and Tiger
The name “Ryuko” means “Dragon and Tiger.” In East Asian tradition, the two are classic opposites — usually painted on separate, facing screens. Here, they’re brought together in a single image, drawn at a deliberate 1:1 scale: neither one dominant, two equal forces resonating side by side. As Saburomaru puts it: “When dragon and tiger meet, a new story is born.” Not fighting to the finish, not simply standing politely together — but pushing each other higher. That spirit is exactly what’s in the glass.
The Man Behind It
I once visited Saburomaru, a place I’d long wanted to see. My guide was Inagaki-san himself — master blender and president both. He’s an inventor at heart: self-taught in CAD, holder of several patents, creator of the world’s first cast-metal pot still, “ZEMON.” You could call him the Edison of whisky. Start him talking about whisky, and his eyes turn boyish.
But what truly captured me wasn’t the inventions. It was where his gaze is fixed — far beyond his own distillery. He told me his dream: “To make Japan the world’s greatest whisky-producing country, 100 years from now.” Trends fade. Culture takes root and passes down through generations. This collaboration, I felt, is one small challenge within that enormous, long-sighted dream.
Tasting Notes (Official)
Aroma: A moist, fruity note like Japanese citrus, with comforting cask aromas of chocolate and cinnamon. A smoky flavor draws the contours and shadows, gradually taking on a fresh sea breeze.
Palate: A deep, flavorful bitterness like aged wood gives way to malty, fragrant, full-bodied sweetness, with a long, smoke-wrapped grapefruit finish.
A Japanese blended malt where rich roundness and citrus freshness meet a powerful, multi-layered smokiness — in tension, yet in balance. “In tension, yet in balance.” That phrase says it all.
One more reason I love Saburomaru: every single bottle carries a story. Picture someone who pushes you to be better — a worthy rival you also respect — and taste this with their face in mind. The moment you feel the maker’s heart, whisky tastes even better. Every encounter is meant to be. Welcome to the world of Rum & Whisky.
About This Bottle
You can enjoy Saburomaru “Ryuko” at Bar Little Happiness in Hiroshima. If you’d like, you can also take some home in a small bottle — a nice option if you’re short on time, can’t drink much, or simply want a souvenir of your trip. Naka-ku, Nagarekawa-cho, Hiroshima · Mon–Sat 19:00–24:30 / Sun until 24:00 → Bar Little Happiness
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Note: This article is based on my own visit and official information, with some personal interpretation woven in. Please enjoy it as one whisky lover’s musings.
Written by
Mika Tanimoto — Owner-Bartender, Bar Little Happiness
Written by Mika Tanimoto — owner-bartender of Bar Little Happiness, a Rum & Whisky bar in Hiroshima, Japan, established in 2006. For 20 years, I’ve shared the wonder of whisky and rum as a specialist, with a back bar of over 1,000 bottles — from rare releases to Sakurao, made here in my hometown of Hiroshima.
Definitely very recommended, I hope to be able to come back here in a future Japan trip! Thank you so much, cheers from Italy!
