Mars Whisky is founded in 1985 by Hombo Shuzo Ltd. Shinshu Mars distillery is located in Miyada, Kamiina District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan and is the highest distillery in Japan at 798 meters situated between the north and south Japanese alps. The environment of Shinshu distillery is surrounded by granitic soil with crystal clear water source, making the finest quality and high standard Mars whisky.

The Shinshu Mars Distillery is located in Miyadamura at the foot of the Komagatake, which is the central alps of 798m elevations, the highest altitdue in Japan. It is a foggy and cool district where the temperature often goes down to 15 degrees below zero in winter, and over 30 degrees in summer, the temperature difference is 48 degrees which make a good effect on making whisky. Distillery surrounded by the good quality natural pure water and the nature’s bounty, is also the important elements to make high quality whisky.

岩井喜一郎 Kiichiro Iwai -Silent Pioneer Of Japanese Whisky, And The Founder of Mars Whisky.
Kiichiro Iwai and in obtaining his subordinate Masataka Taketsuru’s ‘Taketsuru report' after joined the Hombo Shuzo, a combination of 'Taketsuru reporting' knowledge and their own whiskey, designed and created the tank type distillers 'Mars Whisky distillery'. Kiichiro Iwai is committed to the production of higher-quality whiskey. He planned the distillery in Yamanashi based on Taketsuru’s report and he also gave guidance to the whisky production. The birth of Japanese whisky “Mars” is historically lined to the birth of Japanese whisky.

Pot still is the symbol of whisky making. The history of Mars Whisky cannot describe without the pot stills. One of the most important person whose name is Kiichiro Iwai. He is a pioneer of Japanese whisky. In 1960, he designed our pot stills and advised for whisky making. Mars Whisky, with a respectful and a thankful to him, it releases the product which is named on “IWAI TRADITION”.