Written by Mika Tanimoto, Owner-Bartender, Bar Little Happiness — Hiroshima’s specialist whisky & rum bar with 1,000+ bottles
The sixth release in Saburomaru’s tarot series takes its name from one of the most recognisable cards in the Major Arcana: THE LOVERS. In traditional tarot, this card represents not just romantic partnership but the balance of opposites — two forces that are fundamentally different finding harmony in combination.
The whisky makes this concept literal. Saburomaru VI THE LOVERS blends two distinct peat sources: Islay malt and Highland malt.
The Blend and Its Logic
Islay peat is coastal in character — carrying seaweed, brine, and iodine alongside the smoke itself. Highland peat is inland, drier, more heathery and earthy. These two sources produce spirits that could reasonably be described as opposites: the feminine softness of the ocean versus the angular strength of the land, in Saburomaru President Inagaki’s own framing.
In the cask-strength version of THE LOVERS, the contrast between these two characters is explicit — almost confrontational, as Inagaki describes it: “like a couple having an argument.” The tension is present and deliberate. In the standard diluted version, the balance shifts toward reconciliation: the same two personalities, finding a way to coexist.
The cask-strength version allows the drinker to experience the rawer, more honest relationship between these two peat types. The standard version offers something more integrated.
Saburomaru VI THE LOVERS is available at Bar Little Happiness. Read the full Japanese column: little-happiness.jp/columns/saburoumaru-%e2%85%b5-the-lovers/
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