Saburomaru IV The Emperor - 2020/2024 - Heavily Highland Peated

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 48% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Following The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess and The Empress, Saburomaru IV The Emperor is the fifth release in the continuing series. A total of 12,500 bottles of the regular 48% bottling were released in 2024, while the separate 60% Cask Strength edition comprised 1,900 bottles. The label references The Emperor, the fourth card of the Major Arcana, and features a paper-cut artwork by artist Yukie Kano.

The whisky was distilled in 2020 from malt heavily peated with Highland peat to 50 ppm. The wooden washback introduced that year enabled diverse lactic acid fermentation, encouraging the fruit and malt notes. Independently of this, the domestic peat contributes direct, powerful smoke with the dry character of burnt wood.

The powerful peat smoke supports the finer aromas rather than obscuring the ripe apple, pineapple and apricot. Vanilla, wood, furnace ash and pineapple candy complement the fruit, while beeswax and chestnut give the balanced, slightly oily profile additional depth.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose opens with clear, refined aromas of ripe apple and pineapple. Vanilla, woody cask notes, weighty smoke, furnace ash, pineapple candy and beeswax follow, with apricot and chestnut in the background.
• Palate: The whisky is soft, balanced and slightly oily on the palate. Ashy, slightly sweet peat smoke carries ripe apple, vanilla, a light note of apricot and a hint of chestnut.
• Finish: The finish is somewhat more powerful, with ash and wood remaining present.

Distillery/Bottler:

The Saburomaru Distillery in Toyama Prefecture belongs to Wakatsuru Shuzo, a producer founded in 1862. The company began making whisky in 1952 and extensively renovated the distillery in 2017. Saburomaru produced The Emperor as a Japanese single malt; after maturation, the whisky was released in 2024 as an official bottling at 48%.

The distillery’s technical innovations include ZEMON, a pot still developed with Oigo Seisakusho in 2019. Made from a cast copper-tin alloy, it emerged from the bell-casting tradition associated with Takaoka copperware. In 2020, Saburomaru added a wooden washback made from around 500-year-old Douglas fir, on whose surface a distinct culture of lactic acid bacteria can develop.

Facts: