Shinshu Distillery is owned by Hombo Shuzo (sometimes also called Hombo Brewing Co.) and the whisky produced is sold under the brand name Mars Whisky . Hombo Shuzo was founded in 1872 by Honbu Matsusa, at an altitude of 800 meters in the village of Miyata on the Japanese island of Kyushu . In 1949, the company acquired a license to produce whisky at the Kagoshima Distillery, but later transferred its whisky-making operations to the Shinshu Distillery. While low demand for whisky at the time led to a temporary halt in production in 1992, normal service resumed in 2012. The distillery's most notable product is Komagatake , a single malt whisky named after the most imposing of the many nearby mountains; and Mars Maltage Cosmo , which was introduced to the market in July 2015 as a tribute to the distillery's location, referencing the sky that can be seen at night when looking down from Mount Komagatake.