Mars Tsunuki Distillery
Minamisatsuma, Japan
Hombo Shuzo’s Mars Tsunuki Distillery in Tsunuki, Kaseda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture—the birthplace of Hombo Shuzo. Constructed in 2016, it resumed malt whisky distillation in Kagoshima after 32 years and produces Single Malt TSUNUKI. Hombo describes a basin climate with hot summers and winters cold for Minami-Satsuma, shaped by the Kurata and Choya ranges, and more than a century of shochu craftsmanship on the same land. Visitors can view pot stills and a stone aging cellar (self-guided), and the former Hombo family residence “Hojo” (built 1933) operates as an adjacent cafe, bar and shop for paid tastings and exclusive products. An old distillation tower houses a Super-Aromaspa continuous still displayed as it stood until the early 1970s. Admission is free; groups of ten or more should reserve in advance.