Japan's Hombo Shizu has been making whiskies off and on since 1949, and the company's whisky heritage claims a critical link to Masataka Taketsuru, the "father of Japanese whisky." Now, Hombo Shizu's Mars whiskies are back for good, and the company is beginning construction of a new distillery on the site of its original Kagoshima distillery on the southern tip of Japan while producing whisky full-time at its Shinshu distillery near Nagano. Mars whiskies are now starting to reach the US market, and will be available soon in Europe ... we'll discuss these developments with Hombo Shizu's Saki Umemara and Eric Swanson of Tokiwa Imports on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky's governor has signed a new law that loosens up some of the limits on the state's distillery visitor centers, Diageo is releasing several new North American whiskies, and there's no Canadian content in a Canadian celebrity's new whisky! We'll also share a special moment with you as a new Keeper of the Quaich finds out about his nomination!