Written by Mika Tanimoto, Owner-Bartender, Bar Little Happiness — Hiroshima’s specialist whisky & rum bar with 1,000+ bottles
The story of Saburomaru VII THE CHARIOT begins with a distillery that nearly ceased to exist. The full account of Saburomaru’s revival — from the near-abandonment of the 2000s through the 2016 crowdfunding campaign and the creation of ZEMON — is told across multiple columns in this series. THE CHARIOT is where that story arrives at a particular moment of confidence.
The Card
THE CHARIOT is the eighth card of the tarot’s Major Arcana — a figure in armour, driving a chariot forward with unstoppable momentum. Saburomaru’s keywords for this card: will, momentum, independence, challenge. The imagery the distillery uses for its tasting notes: “A lone soul charging across an open plain. The sound of wheels scorching the dry earth.”
For a distillery that spent decades in near-silence, this is a statement.
The Whisky
Saburomaru VII THE CHARIOT is made with Highland peat at 80 PPM phenol content — approximately 1.5 times the peat intensity of Ardbeg, which sits at around 55 PPM. The Highland peat gives the whisky a dry, earthy, slightly angular quality: the kind of smoke that arrives directly rather than enveloping.
The distillate for CHARIOT was produced through ZEMON — Saburomaru’s proprietary zinc-bronze alloy pot still, designed and cast in collaboration with the traditional bronze-smiths of Takaoka. The ZEMON influence contributes a roundness and density to the spirit that copper-only stills cannot replicate.
Official tasting notes: On the nose, burning wood and ash with a hint of peat, Kanro ame hard candy, slight tree sap, menthol, orange peel, ripe red apple, and ginger. On the palate, smooth and round, with powerful ash-driven peat, Kanro ame sweetness, apple and ginger nuances. The peat spreads across the entire palate and lingers.
Saburomaru VII THE CHARIOT is available at Bar Little Happiness. Read the full Japanese column: little-happiness.jp/columns/saburomaru-chaliot-zemon-revival/
Bar Little Happiness | Hiroshima, Japan
Rum & Whisky specialists | 1,000+ bottles | English menu available
Open Mon–Sat 7PM–12:30AM, Sun 7PM–midnight
No cover charge. Walk-ins welcome.
english.little-happiness.jp