The whisky is named after Kiichiro Iwai, known as "The Silent Pioneer of Japanese Whisky," and the former mentor of Masataka Taketsuru, one of the Godfathers of Japan's distilling industry. Shinshu Mars is perfectly located for the production of whisky, with the cool climate mirroring that found in Scotland and Ireland. The altitude of the distillery makes for a lower pressure when distilling, said to produce a lighter final product. Finally, the Kuyshu Island is blessed with high quality water, filtered by granite, that Mars use in the distillation and dilution process.