Lovers Where Two Kinds of Peat Meet: Saburomaru VI THE LOVERS
2026.10.05
In short: Saburomaru VI THE LOVERS, released in June 2025, is a single malt from Toyama’s Saburomaru Distillery that marries Highland-peated malt from 2020 with Islay-peated malt from 2021. I share why more guests ask for Saburomaru, the tarot series story, and tasting notes.
Orders That Grew Rapidly This Past Year
At the Little Happiness counter, there is one request that has clearly increased over the past year:
“Do you have Saburomaru?”
Why Saburomaru?
When I ask, almost everyone answers the same way.
“I’ve been to the distillery.”
They actually travelled to Toyama, saw it with their own eyes, heard it with their own ears, felt it with their whole body.
The experience they gained that way makes the Saburomaru in their glass something special.
The “Rest of the Story” Known Only to Those Who Visit
Another thing that struck me:
people who have visited “know what comes next” in this Tarot series.
Inside Saburomaru Distillery,
the future story of the Tarot series, not yet released, is depicted.
When they drink THE LOVERS, that “shared secret” of knowing what comes next makes the glass even more special.
That is why they say:
“This isn’t just a bottle. I want to drink it because it’s part of a story.”
THE LOVERS: A New Harmony
In June 2025, a new bottle arrived from Saburomaru.
“Saburomaru VI THE LOVERS”: a single malt inspired by “The Lovers” tarot card.
Highland-peated malt distilled in 2020 and Islay-peated malt distilled in 2021.
Peat from different regions meets and comes into harmony in a single glass.
Land and sea: two personalities drawn to each other like lovers, resonating together.
That is the story this bottle carries.
Tasting Notes
- Nose: turmeric, elegant smoke, rich vanilla, a hint of curry spice. Beef jerky, a little wafer. Deeper in, kanro-ame candy and ripe pineapple, with a faint charcoal nuance.
- Palate: smoke and honey, plain wafer. The savouriness of beef jerky, the sweetness of ripe pineapple.
- Finish: the sweetness of fruit and candy hiding behind the smoke. A slowly lingering savoury finish.
The Place Called Saburomaru
← Image from the distillery’s website.
The entrance sign.
A distillery that was on the verge of closing because of ageing facilities
was revived by the fifth generation, Takahiko Inagaki, with the help of the local community and fans through crowdfunding.
The cast pot still “ZEMON,” made with the techniques of Takaoka copperware,
and local copperware materials used for the sign.
It is a whisky in which local culture and craft are alive.
A Glass Like a Lover
THE LOVERS is Saburomaru’s new answer.
The harmony woven by two kinds of peat,
and the “rest of the story” known only to those who visit.
For those who love peat, and those just starting to discover it.
Saburomaru VI THE LOVERS is a bottle that stays close to you, like a lover.
Every encounter is meant to be. Welcome to the world of Rum&Whisky.
Mika Tanimoto, Bar Little Happiness
[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
