In Japan it's the season for Furusato Nozei, or what is known as the Hometown Tax Program that was first unveiled in 2007. The idea behind it is that as Japan faces an increasing trend of citizens heading to cities to work and live, they no longer pay taxes to their rural hometowns. The country thus wants to encourage citizens to help support the rural prefectures of Japan.
This comes in the form of an optional tax program where citizens can "donate" to jurisdictions of their choosing by purchasing craft and artisanal goods that qualify for the program. This ranges from meats, cheese, pottery and of course, whisky. In turn, taxpayers are not only able to support producers in Japan, but are also able to get their hands on craft goods and also a small tax deduction.
In support of the program, Mars' Tsunuki has launched its debut expression as part of the Minami-Satsuma Art Collection - this year is the second year of Mars' Art Collection series with the artwork titled "Landscape with a Circuit Breaker", painted by Kenkichi Nishi, a Kagoshima native.
It has been bottled at 53% ABV and features whisky from Mars' Kagoshima distillery, Tsunuki, and comes complete with a postcard of the artwork.