Three five-year-old Komagatake single casks for La Maison du Whisky

I am just now seeing the Text label near Niigata.
LOL, I’m leaving it there.

A stomach virus kept me off the sauce for a week, but that's behind me now. 😅

During last year's vacation, I learned that La Maison du Whisky has cornered the Parisian whisky retail market. To avoid all FOMO, you should visit all three of LMDW's excellent brick-and-mortar shops in the city, as each store has a slightly different inventory.

Because France doesn't have the same wacky liquor laws as the US, La Maison also acts as an importer, especially of Japanese whiskies. Back in 2022, LMDW brought in three single first-fill ex-bourbon casks of Komagatake (Shinshu Distillery) single malt, each of which was matured at one of the three Mars locations: Shinshu (mountains), Tsunuki (coast), and Yakushima (tropical island). Today I'm going to try them side-by-side to see how, or if, the aging process is influenced by the warehouse locales.

Komagatake Kyōdai

Komagatake 5-year-old 2016 cask 3705, Shinshu-aged 61%abv	Komagatake 5-year-old 2016 cask 5183, Tsunuki-aged 60%abv	Komagatake 5-year-old 2016 cask 2063, Yakushima-aged 61%abv
The nose starts off with apples, malt, vanilla, and paint thinner, with caramel, white peaches, and white dessert wine arriving later. Once diluted to 50%abv, the whisky shifts toward mint, anise, sugar cookies, and cherry candy in the nose.	Ah, some real fruit in this nose! Mango juice, orange peel, and orange blossoms up front. Cinnamon, glue, and chlorophyl settle into the background. The nose gets leaner once the whisky is diluted to 50%abv. It's all barley, yeast, peat, burlap, cinnamon, and clove.	Another pretty nose, with sugar cookies, orange peels, rosewater and lemon candies appearing in the first 20-30 minutes. Vanilla bean, almond extract, and toasted oak emerge later on. At 50%abv, the whisky's nose offers up apricots, apples, confectioner's sugar, and a hint of brine.
The hot and sweet palate offers cherry-flavored children's medicine, honey and clementines in the foreground, barley and cocoa in the middle, ash in the distance. The palate is so very, very sweet at the 50%abv mark, mostly lemon candy, simple syrup, and milk chocolate.	Surprising peaty notes hit the palate first, followed by limes, tart apples, tart cherries, and bitter citrus pith. At 50%abv, there's less peat and sugar, but lots of tart and bitter citrus.	Mild smoke and bitterness moderate the palate's sweetness. Cloves, almond extract, and lemons stick around the longest. It's moderately sweet with salty smoke, lemon blossoms, and clementines at 50%abv.
The finish is VERY sweet, like dessert wine, lemon candy, simple syrup, and milk chocolate. At 50%abv, the finish is tangier and more acidic. A few marshmallows appear after the final sips.	No peat in the finish, so the sweetness runs wild, especially in notes of sweet apples and lemon candy. After the whisky is diluted to 50%abv, the sweetness calms down. Oranges, limes, and menthol linger a bit.	The finish is smoky and rosy, with a hint of cherry bubblegum. It gets saltier with time. A Yoichi-like delicate smoke mixes with sweet citrus in the diluted finish.
Comments: This cask reads the youngest out of the three, perhaps due to its warehouse's cooler temperatures. The whisky is a bit too sweet for my palate, but it's quite decent overall. This would have been a much more interesting whisky at 10-12 its age.	Comments: The peaty notes give this whisky more complexity than the Shinshu while occasionally toning down some of the sweetness. And, as always, I'm fan of all the fruit notes. Other than perhaps the citrus and sugar, very little ties this cask to the Shinshu one.	Comments: This Yakushima cask was the winner throughout the whole tasting, especially since its finish stuck the landing after every sip. Salt + light smoke + citrus = Yes. I hope they'll leave some of these Yakushima casks to snooze until they're 10 years old, because could be outstanding.
Rating: 80	Rating: 84	Rating: 86

WORDS WORDS WORDS

After being disappointed by a pair of disappointing Komagatake malts, I was happily reminded that Mars produces some very good whiskies. As noted above, I believe that all three of these casks would have benefited from more maturation time, but at least two of them are quite nice at 5 years. Considering the salt and peat levels on the second (better) two, can one really be sure all three casks held the same spirit? (I'm just seeing now, per Serge's notes, that these did not hold the same spirit. This trio makes less sense now.) A bit burned out by these baby Mars whiskies, I will switch to a different small whisky brand (not Chichibu, sorry) for this month's final Japanese booze reviews.

Mars Komagatake 4 year old 2015, cask 1940 for Total Wine

As I referenced the other day, Mars has released a couple hundred single casks from the Shinshu distillery under the the Komagatake brand name. A few of those casks even made it to American shores. Today's heater (62%abv) was a single bourbon cask sold exclusively through Total Wine & More, a retailer I've missed dearly since moving to Ohio.

This will be my sixth contemporary Komagatake single cask, all have been 3 to 4 years old, and the previous five scored between 78 and 84. My expectations are thusly not set that high for this 4-year-old. If it's good though, I'll pine for Total Wine even more.

Distillery: Mars Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Brand: Komagatake
Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Age: 4 years (May 2015 - September 2019)
Maturation: bourbon cask
Cask #: 1940
Outturn: 208 bottles
Exclusive to: Total Wine & More
Alcohol by Volume: 62%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose remains tight, even after 30 minutes of air. At first it's just malt, brine, and a lot of lavender soap. It slowly picks up notes of cinnamon schnapps and vanilla-bean-infused bourbon. The very bourbony palate is full of barrel char and vanilla, with jasmine rice and simple syrup in the middle, and lime juice in the back. Numbing heat cancels out the finish for the first two sips. Then it's a belt of vanilla simple syrup and lime juice.

It may need water...

DILUTED to ~50%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Ah, more approachable. Green apple candy, Barbasol shaving cream, and lemony soap start the nose, with vanilla and flower blossoms appearing later. The palate stays simple: Mint, witbier, malt, and a bitter touch. It finishes minty and tangy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This was such a half-baked mess when neat that I wasn't even inspired to add water, but thankfully I did because that rescued it, slightly. Maybe it requires further dilution. Or maybe the cask's contents weren't yet fully baked. I'm leaning towards the latter. The active oak might make it appealing to bourbon drinkers. But even the Quercus alba can't hide an incomplete whisky. I'm thankful I didn't buy a bottle from TW&M. And I'm glad the next three Komagatake casks are older.

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 76 (once diluted)

Mars Komagatake 2022 Edition

The Hombo Shuzo Company made multiple attempts at establishing consistent whisky production. The family-run company earned their whisky license in 1949, but didn't build their first distillery until 1960, in Yamanashi. Kiichiro Iwai, one of the men who sent Masataka Taketsuru to Scotland to learn the whisky trade in 1918, oversaw production at the distillery until his death in 1966. The distillery closed in 1969 because its whisky did not sell well among its Japanese customers. Another distillery was built in Kagoshima a few years later, but that one closed soon after as well. The issue with the Kagoshima distillery was the same as that of the Yamanashi distillery, the Scottish-style proved too heavy for the Japanese consumers at the time. Lighter spirit was needed.

In 1984, Shinshu Distillery opened in the Japanese Alps. The source water was softer up there, while the temperature and altitude would result in slow maturation. Shinshu experienced limited success until 1992, when Japan's recession and decline in whisky sales forced the distillery to close. As whisky sales started to climb worldwide in 2011, the distillery reopened. The distillery hasn't closed since, but did install brand new stills in 2014. Hombo Shuzo opened a second distillery, Tsunuki, in Kagoshima again, so they could go back to producing a heavier spirit, now more appreciated worldwide.

Shinshu Distillery single malts, from both production eras, are released under the Komagatake brand. Over 200 different Komagatake whiskies have been released over the years. Malts distilled during the more recent era first appeared in 2014 with Shinshu's 3 year old whisky.

Since 2020, the distillery has released an annual 50%abv NAS small batch single malt. I had the chance to try a few of the editions while in Japan, but this is my first opportunity to try one while inside my hermetically sealed whisky laboratory. Did I say laboratory? I meant lavatory.

Distillery: Mars Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Brand: Komagatake
Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Age: at least 3 years old
Maturation: allegedly bourbon, sherry, and port casks

Bottling year: 2022
Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The yeasty, malty nose dishes out bananas, lager, apricots, cinnamon, lumber, and circus peanuts. The rawness of the palate surprises, even though, as a 3yo palate it shouldn't. It's floral and sweet, with lots of marshmallows. Honey on Irish soda bread. Maybe a hint of smoke. It finishes even sweeter, like agave nectar and vanilla.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose shows more vanilla and lager, but also offers hints of tobacco, mango peel, and oloroso. Lots of tangy new make leads the palate, with lime and vanilla in the midground, sweat and tannins in the background. The finish lasts longer with a mix of lemons and tannins.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Slightly disappointing, this whisky fell short of my previous Komagatake experiences, and the Whiskybase community's feelings about this whisky. It's not terrible stuff, just very sweet, very limited baby malt. Many of us (including this reviewer) want to love Komagatake, but it's difficult to get a legitimate read on how a ~3yo whisky fits into a distillery's bigger picture. With that in mind, four single casks will follow!

Availability - At a few dozen retailers in the US and Europe
Pricing - $110 to $180
Rating - 78

Mars Iwai Tradition Blended Whisky (white label)

I won't be traveling to Japan this year, so I'll pelt you with some more Japanese whisky reviews instead! It's what Saint Padraig would have wanted.

In addition to bottling single malts from their Shinshu and Tsunuki distilleries, the Mars folks also fashion a bunch of blends, with the Iwai range being the most popular. There's the Iwai 45, with a higher ABV, yet grain whisky driven, and there's the standard Iwai Tradition. The Tradition has more malt than the 45, but also has the minimal ABV, 40%. I'm not sure I understand the logic behind that, but so it goes.

Some actual tinkering goes on in the Tradition. The blenders mix bourbon, sherry, and red wine casks, while also applying a little bit of peated malt. Were all the ingredients distilled at the Hombo Shuzo facilities? Heck, were all the ingredients distilled in Japan? I'm going to guess "No" to both now that the label no longer reads "Blended Japanese Whisky", but rather Mars Whisky.

More importantly, does it taste good? Tonight I'm matching it up with the less-than-inspiring, and more expensive, Ichiro's Malt & Grain, Classical Edition.

Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.

Brand: Mars

Type: Blended Whisky
Region: Japan and ???

Age: ???

Maturation: bourbon, sherry, and red wine casks

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Chillfitered? maybe

e150? probably, with its Diageo-esque orange hue
(from a bottle split)

HIGHBALLS

I'm getting nothing but very sweet grain, vanilla, and some tanginess in the background. The Ichiro's highball is creamier and toastier.

NEAT

Though the nose does lead with a layer of charred America oak, there are more interesting notes of peach candy, barley grist, plaster, corn flakes, and coal in the mid- and background. The simple, pleasant palate offers oranges, roses, and vanilla custard up front, and dates(!) in the back. Peach skins, bitter citrus pith, and roses finish it up.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I like this much more than expected, especially since its finish sticks the landing. It's the rare blend that works best when served neatly. With its US prices as low as $25 — no, there are no missing zeros — Iwai Tradition trounces all the major entry-level scotch blends. I might even purchase a bottle regret-free if/when I'm in the right location. Perhaps I should review a few more Mars whiskies.....

Availability - At your favorite specialty liquor retailer
Pricing - $25-$60 in the USA
Rating - 81

Taste Off: Chichibu x Komagatake Malt Duo twice!

The Chichibu and Mars Shinshu distilleries did a fun thing, and I hope others will follow suit. Together they made a double malt (Chichibu + Komagatake), half was aged at Shinshu, half was aged at Chichibu, using the same mix of casks for the same amount of time. Two whiskies resulted.

I didn't even know this had happened until the opportunity arose for a double bottle split. Here are the stats:

Distilleries: Chichibu #1 and Mars Shinshu

Locations: Saitama Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture (right next to each other)
Owners: Venture Whisky and Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Age: allegedly around 5 years (2015 - 2021)
Maturation: bourbon, new US oak, and sherry casks
Outturn: 10000+ bottles and 10000+ bottles

(from a bottle split)

A Double Duo

Chichibu x Komagatake aged at Chichibu 53.5%abv	Komagatake x Chichibu aged at Mars Shinshu 54.0%abv
A fruity fruit nose! Kiwis, yuzus, orange blossoms, and plantains up top. Pineapple and cardamom pods underneath.	It has a very malty nose. Lots of Irish soda bread and malt crackers. Some saline and menthol, hints of taffy and florals. Feisty!
The tart and tangy palate starts with limes + apples (tart), and pineapple + chiles (tangy). It gets sweeter with time, but is less sweet than its sibling.	This one is a sweetie, with orange candy, barley, and "lemony heat" on the palate. Savory, salty, and yeasty hints arrive later.
It finishes tartly. Tart oranges and lemons. A bit of rosy florals.	Barley, clementines, and yeast make up most of the finish, with truffle salt and lychee in the back.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I would never have guessed that these two whiskies had the same ingredients. The Chichibu-aged carries plenty of that distillery's fruity style, while the Shinshu-aged double has a more direct barley hit. Shinshu's edition reads younger, but it's not harsh. Chichibu's edition may have revealed one of their secrets......a magic warehouse stuffed to the walls with fruit peels? With sherry and new oak casks that barely make a peep, these are both very good whiskies, so good that elected not to add water.

Dear Whisky World, more of this please! Clynelish x Ben Nevis, anyone?

RATINGS:
Chichibu x Komagatake (Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries) - 88

Komagatake x Chichibu (Mars Whisky Malt Duo) - 86

Two Mars Komagatake single casks

While Chichibu gets the lust, Komagatake gets......noticed. Fashioned in Mars Shinshu distillery, the Komagatake single malts have not yet reached 10 years of age, and many of their early bottlings had single malt from the previous Shinshu production era (1985-1992) mixed in. So like Chichibu their whiskies are very young and very expensive, though many of the regular Komagatake releases stay below $200. I'm still not going to call this stuff cheap.

For more on Mars's whisky, I recommend checking out my Mission: Mars series from 2018. Here's the intro and here's the closer with the review links.

Today I shall compare two official Komagatake single casks -- one bourbon barrel and one sherry butt -- which I enjoy courtesy of bottle splits. Expectations set to medium well.

---

Mars Komagatake 4 year old 2012
cask 1453, USA release

Brand: Komagatake
Distillery: Mars Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Age: 4 years (February 2012 - July 2016)
Maturation: bourbon barrel
Cask #: 1453
Outturn: 175 bottles
Bottled for: USA
Alcohol by Volume: 58%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose is full of cereals (think wheat bran and oats), as well as lemons, rosemary and witbier. It's sugary and pretty, a little bit worty. It develops notes of rosewater and dried grass clippings with time. It reads younger once it's reduced to 46%abv. More sugar, more malt. Grassier and toastier.

It's even younger on the palate, with yeast, wort, barley and a wheated bourbon-like sweetness. Pears and smoky peppercorns. The sweetness mellows with time, and some simple citrus notes appear. It's never too hot. Diluting the whisky to 46%abv narrows it a bit. Malt, grass, bitter herbs and a slight tart bite.

Tart lemons, black pepper and sugar in the finish. Once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv, the finish matches the palate with the tartness lasting the longest.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

There's no mistaking this for an older whisky. A blessed lack of oak allows one to get very very close to the spirit which feels novel in this whisky era. So though there's nothing remarkable about the whisky, I appreciate that direct barley hit. Though I'm tired of damned bloggers like me writing "I can't wait until this is ten years old", I can't wait until this is ten years old. In a refill cask. At a bargain price. *wink*

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 83 (when neat)

---

Mars Komagatake 3 year old 2013 ePower
cask 1704

Brand: Komagatake
Distillery: Mars Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Bottler: ePower
Age: 3 years (March 2013 - September 2016)
Maturation: sherry butt
Cask #: 1704
Outturn: 594 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 56.9%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose on this one is more expressive than that of cask 1453. Apricots, eucalyptus, vanilla fudge and honey are the first to greet the sniffer, followed by toasted barley, mesquite and cinnamon syrup. It picks up notes of amaretto and almond extract with more time in the glass. When reduced to 46%abv, the nose becomes simpler: flowers, lychee and barley.

For the palate my notes read, "Malt and almond things". Then there's a distinct new make note, almost like rye white dog. It opens up further after 20+ minutes, revealing walnuts, agave nectar, wheat bread toast crust and dried apricots. It has a nice thick mouthfeel. Again, reducing the whisky to 46%abv really does water it down. It becomes sweet, bitter and almond-y with a little bit of cherry candy on the corners.

The sweet and nutty finish sticks around for a long time. Notes of cinnamon, salt, dough and dried apricots linger. Diluted to 46%abv, the whisky's finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As with cask 1453, cask 1704 does not hide its whisky's youth. Though the sherry cask lends some character, it shares bright fresh fruit and nuts rather than oak and raisins. And, like its sparring partner, it performs much better when neat. I enjoyed this one a teeny bit more, while also realizing that at 10 years old this cask would likely have smothered the spirit.

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 84 (when neat)

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

Aside from an excellent Komagatake I enjoyed in Japan (but have since forgotten which edition it was) all the Mars Shinshu single malts (from the current production period) I have tried fall into this general age and rating range. Though that totals just five whiskies, I do wonder how much more can be done with this single malt at this extreme youth. Though I continue to root for Hombo Shuzo Co. and its whiskies, I do hope they can push the age up without raising the prices much more.

Mission: Mars concludes

Here are the Mission: Mars whiskies I reviewed:

--Shinshu 12 year old 1986, cask 452 - 43%abv - Rating: 90

--Shinshu 12 year old 1992, cask 1125  - 43%abv - Rating: 88

--Shinshu 20 year old 1989, cask 618 - 58%abv - Rating: 82

--Shinshu Komagatake Nature of Shinshu - Kohiganzakura - 52%abv - Rating: 83

--Shinshu Komagatake 2012 "Super Heavy Peated", cask 1492 - 58%abv - Rating: 80

--Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Blackadder, cask 1647 - 61%abv - Rating: 78

--Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Tsunuki Aging, cask 5108 - 58%abv - Rating: 81

--Tsunuki New Pot Heavily Peated new make - 60%abv - Rating: 63

Before

What Was versus What Is

At first glance, it appears as if the scores are saying, "The stuff from back in the day was better." But that's not necessarily true. The current era of Mars whiskies are barely legal, while the malts I tried from the previous era had much longer maturation periods (and were unpeated). Also, that 20 year old single cask was overoaked and uninspiring.

The last four whiskies were substantially peated, so the era was different, the maturation periods were different and the spirits themselves were different. That being said, I am not motivated to try any current Shinshu/Tsunuki whisky until it gets 8+ years on it. It's nearly impossible to produce an excellent 3 year old whisky, but Mars does get respect points for not oak-doping these whisky toddlers. But will any of us be able to afford 8 year old Shinshu, because...

These whiskies are crazy expensive

My conservative estimate for the price of the first seven bottles is $3000. Yes, some of that pricing is due to the secondary market. But if you think Mars is going to sell their upcoming single casks for less than what they know they can get, then I want to give you a smooch because you're adorbs.

Perhaps the "Nature of Shinshu" series provides a good estimate of Mars's current pricing plans. Those whiskies range from $150-$200 or so, and they're almost entirely 3-5 year old stuff. Though the company claims there's some 25+ year old malt in the mix, I doubt it's more than a sprinkle. Unless those old casks fell below 40%abv, they're tremendously valuable. Do you know what 25-30yo cask strength Japanese single malt is worth? If you don't, that's okay because it barely exists in the present market. Those would be multi-thousand-dollar bottles.

Speaking of cask strength

My favorite whiskies of the bunch were bottled at 43%abv. My least favorite whiskies were 60+%abv. Part of that probably has to do with my current palate. But, again, I'm comparing Satsuma plums to Satsuma oranges here.

By the way, Satsuma oranges aren't actually from Satsuma. They're from Zhejiang, China. They acquired their name because the fruits were originally exported to America through Satsuma. A Satsuma (or unshiu) variety is now grown in Gulf states, like Louisiana and Florida. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

After

Is there hope?

Probably not.

Oh, you mean for the current era of Mars whiskies? Maybe. The "Nature of Shinshu" Kohiganzakura was decent, and the Komagatake Sherry & American White Oak was very good. By producing four kinds of malts at each of their distilleries, Hombo Spirits is bound to find at least one or two successful combos. I just hope they give their casks some time. And then underprice Chichibu. Please.

Tsunuki New Pot Heavily Peated new make

The Mission: Mars whiskies:

--Shinshu 12 year old 1986, cask 452 (two Tuesdays ago)

--Shinshu 12 year old 1992, cask 1125 (last Monday)

--Shinshu 20 year old 1989, cask 618 (last Tuesday)

--Shinshu Komagatake Nature of Shinshu - Kohiganzakura (last Wednesday)
--Shinshu Komagatake 2012 "Super Heavy Peated", cask 1492 (last Thursday)
--Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Blackadder, cask 1647 (last Friday)
--Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Tsunuki Aging, cask 5108 (Tuesday)
--Tsunuki New Pot Heavily Peated new make (today)

So this is where the most recent reviews were trending: new make. And, as a wee surprise, this stuff is NOT from Shinshu distillery, but rather from Tsunuki distillery, Hombo Spirits's new Mars facility.

photo from Kagoshima's official tourism website

While Shinshu distillery perches up in the Japanese Alps in Nagano, Tsunuki was built in Satsuma (in Kagoshima prefecture) at the southern tip of Kyūshū. While it's not technically on the coast (about 10 miles away), it does sit in a basin near sea level. And it's at the same latitude (32ºN) as Algeria, Morocco, Texas, Sonora and Punjab. So yeah, it can be warm down there.

Tsunuki was built on the former site of Hombo's Kagoshima distillery, which closed in 1984. Production started at the new distillery in late 2016 with the intent of having a single malt ready in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Just like Shinshu, Tsunuki distills four new makes, from malted barley with peating levels of 0ppm, 3.5ppm, 20ppm and 50ppm.

In 2017, Mars released a four Tsunuki spirits: non-peated new make, heavily-peated new make, 47 days aged and 244 days aged. I'm ending this series with a review of the heavily-peated unaged spirit.

source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Tsunuki
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture
Age: 0
Maturation: none
Distilled: May 2017
Peat level: 50ppm
Bottle size: 250mL
Bottles: 4000
Alcohol by Volume: 60%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Color? None. One rip at the nose and WOO! Peat eau de vie. Burnt earth smoke. Wet sheep. Gunpowder and the old charred bits stuck to the grill tray. New sneakers. Ocean-soaked stones. The palate is indeed peaty, but less punishing than the nose. It has the nose's sulphuric note, though it's more like struck matches. Salty and savory. A hint of sweetness. More fabric and rubber than earth. It finishes peaty and salty. Peppercorns and cigarettes.

Gonna water it way down,

DILUTED TO ~40%abv
The nose loses none of its violence. Mostly the same notes as before. More focus on rubber, metal and saline. Intensely salty peat on the palate. A sharp bitterness. Clove cigarettes and struck matches. Maybe some sweetness. The finish is salty, bitter and smoky.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Well, it ain't whisky. Keep that in mind when you see the score. New make that rates over 60 is a success, since it's already preferable to cheap blends. New make that hits 80 is super duper because it's more complete/complex/delicious than most matured whiskies. Anyhoo...

I really enjoy new make, though I prefer the unpeated sort. This particular spirit shows why peated new make can be a bit difficult, even ugly at times. It's close to new Ledaig, but it's also close to Lost Spirits's whisky-ish things. Though its sulphuric edge is fascinating, it doesn't fatten things up like some sulphuric Scotch new make, rather it sorta makes things more......chancy? I can see this Tsunuki spirit turning into some socko crazy single malt some day. It certainly won't be a diplomatic beverage in 2020.

Availability - Japan, maybe
Pricing - the 250mL bottle was around $20
Rating - 63 (again, it's new make)

Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Tsunuki Aging, cask 5108

The Mission: Mars whiskies thus far:

--Shinshu 12 year old 1986, cask 452 (two Tuesdays ago)

--Shinshu 12 year old 1992, cask 1125 (last Monday)

--Shinshu 20 year old 1989, cask 618 (last Tuesday)

--Shinshu Komagatake Nature of Shinshu - Kohiganzakura (last Wednesday)
--Shinshu Komagatake 2012 "Super Heavy Peated", cask 1492 (last Thursday)
--Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Blackadder, cask 1647 (last Friday)
--Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Tsunuki Aging, cask 5108 (today)

Tsunuki distillery, opened by Hombo Spirits in 2016, was built at sea level on the Kagoshima coast, far from its sibling distillery, Shinshu, up in the Japanese Alps. Hombo established some warehouse space near Tsunuki before the distillery was complete, and has been maturing some casks there.

More on this in the next post. Right now lemme see how this 3 year old — distilled at Shinshu — fares after spending its life near the sea, as opposed to on the mountaintop.

source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Distillation Region: Japan, Nagano Prefecture
Maturation Region: Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture
Age: 3 years (September 2013 - February 2017)
Maturation: ex-bourbon barrel
Peat level: ???
Cask #: 5108
Bottles: 210
Bottled for: Yamakataya
Alcohol by Volume: 58%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Its color is light gold, though it's darker than the previous 3yos I reviewed. The nose frames everything with light sugary peat. Apple-y calvados, lychee gummy candy, vanilla, soil and brine sit in the middle. The palate is HAWT. Jeez. It's fruity, though. Sweet white fruits and very tart berries. Puckeringly tart. Ocean water (don't drink ocean water, people) and cinnamon. More salt than peat, really. Lots of ethyl heat in the finish, as well. It's mostly salt, bitterness and char.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
Ah, the nose is very pretty, all fruits and flowers. Bananas, plums and apples. The palate is much more approachable at this strength. Pepper, salt and sugar. Pears and vanilla. Donut glaze. Not much peat. Some of the pears remain in the warm, peppery, sweet finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I'm sensing a theme here. Three consecutive 3 year old peated whiskies that all smell and taste like 3 year old peated whiskies, no matter where they've matured. This is the hottest of the three, but once diluted down to 46%abv, it's the best of the trio. While the nose has its delights, the whisky's palate (like the previous two) is limited by its youth. As I've said before, I'd be interested in tasting this stuff when it hits eight years old. At that point, I wouldn't doubt if it gives Hakushu a run for its money. Speaking of money, this thing is priced all over the map (as it were).

Availability - Japan, Europe and USA
Pricing - Japan: around $80 if you can find it; Europe: $200ish; USA: $200-$250
Rating - 81 (with water only)

Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Blackadder, cask 1647

The Mission: Mars whiskies thus far:

--Shinshu 12 year old 1986, cask 452 (last Tuesday)

--Shinshu 12 year old 1992, cask 1125 (this Monday)

--Shinshu 20 year old 1989, cask 618 (Tuesday)

--Shinshu Komagatake Nature of Shinshu - Kohiganzakura (Wednesday)
--Shinshu Komagatake 2012 "Super Heavy Peated", cask 1492 (Thursday)
--Shinshu Mars 3 year old 2013 Blackadder, cask 1647 (today)

Like yesterday's whisky, this is a peated three year old Martian. I don't know which of Shinshu's three peated distillates were used here, but since it's supposed to be noticeably peaty, I'd say it's either the 20ppm or 50ppm spirit.

This time it's not an official bottling, but rather one from the independent company, Blackadder. Though, curiously, the official bottle shape was used.

The cask description makes me smile: "first refill bourbon barrel". So.....is it a second fill? On a side note, "first fill" is a misleading term because technically a "first fill" ex-bourbon barrel's real first fill is bourbon, not single malt. A true "first fill" would be a virgin oak cask, meanwhile a virgin oak cask is no longer "virginal" once it's been filled. And you have now wasted five seconds of your life reading this paragraph.

source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Japan, Nagano Prefecture
Independent bottler: Blackadder
Age: 3 years (May 2013 - September 2016)
Maturation: "first refill bourbon barrel"
Peat level: either 20ppm or 50ppm
Cask #: 1647
Bottles: 239
Alcohol by Volume: 61%

NEAT
Oooh, there's fruit in the nose. I mean, it's subtle but there be peaches and pineapple here. There's also very polite peat and concrete. Sugar cookies and cinnamon candy. And the ocean/beach note found in many of these Martians. The palate has peppery peat, dried thyme, charred beef, berry syrup, brown sugar and little bit of heat. There's sweet peat, salt, pepper and heat in the finish.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
Twix bars and cinnamon candy on the nose. Ocean. The peat has gotten quieter but ashier. Not much happening in the palate. Peppercorns and fresh ginger. Tart lemons and mild peat. Peat, ginger and pepper in the finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The nose is a lot of fun but the palate is a snooze. There are no outright flaws here, unless bottling a whisky before it's ready equates to a flaw. The heat is calmer than I expected from a 3yo 61% whisky, and, again, the sniffer's fruit is much appreciated. I'm leaning towards this being a second fill barrel holding the 20ppm spirit.

Next week, the tour takes another turn, thank goodness. No the whiskies don't get older, but they do get different. As for this whisky:

Availability - ???
Pricing - ???
Rating - 78 (neat)

Shinshu Mars Komagatake 2012 "Super Heavy Peated", cask 1492

The Mission: Mars whiskies thus far:

--Shinshu 12 year old 1986, cask 452 (last Tuesday)

--Shinshu 12 year old 1992, cask 1125 (this Monday)

--Shinshu 20 year old 1989, cask 618 (Tuesday)

--Shinshu Komagatake Nature of Shinshu - Kohiganzakura (Wednesday)
--Shinshu Komagatake 2012 "Super Heavy Peated", cask 1492 (today)

Now we're entering Shinshu distillery's current whisky era. So that means things are going to get quite young and probably quite peaty. Komagatake Kohiganzakura delivered more than a hint of youthful stuff yesterday, but it wasn't slathered with peat pancake makeup, which masks a whisky's flaws with a stratum of phenolic cover.

But, enough flirting. As Greta Garbo said, "Gimme a whisky."

source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Japan, Nagano Prefecture
Age: 3 years (2012-2015)
Maturation: probably American oak
Peat level: either the 20ppm or 50ppm spirit, though probably the latter
Cask #: 1492
Bottled for: Isetan
Alcohol by Volume: 58%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
It has a very pale color. The nose leads with clean ocean-y peat, flower blossoms and cinnamon candy. Simple syrup. A whiff of hot asphalt. Green veg, think arugula and seaweed. Yes, the palate's peat is heavy (ashy and sooty), but it's also sweet. Mild tingly alcohol heat. Acidic citrus, and no oak to be found. The still tingly finish has the oceanic peat smoke with a small hit of bitterness and a bigger acidic note.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv
The nose is cleaner, politer. Lots of florals. Menthol, burnt marshmallows and chalk dust. A hint of balsamic vinegar. Tangy and smoky peat in the palate. The bitterness and sweetness have become gentler, though there is a new edgier metallic side. It finishes tangy and sweet. Smoke and metal.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This does a good job imitating peated Scotch, while also including its own pretty floral notes. It's a fine work in progress, and probably offers a good look at Shinshu's heavily peated new make. And I do appreciate the absence of woodwork. I can't wait to see what it would be like at around 8 years. But with this 3yo selling for $500 (yup), I doubt most of us will ever find out what its older brethren will taste like.

Availability - Secondary market and a few retailers in Europe and Asia
Pricing - over $500. Because.
Rating - 80

Shinshu Mars Komagatake Kohiganzakura

The Mission: Mars whiskies thus far:

--Shinshu 12 year old 1986, cask 452 (last Tuesday)

--Shinshu 12 year old 1992, cask 1125 (this Monday)

--Shinshu 20 year old 1989, cask 618 (yesterday)

--Shinshu Mars Komagatake Nature of Shinshu - Kohiganzakura (today)

The tour of Mars continues...

The first three whiskies (1986, 1992 and 1989) from this set of reviews were distilled during Shinshu's first whisky distillation era which began in 1985 and ended in 1992. The pot stills then sat silent until 2011, and have been running ever since.

Today's whisky is from the recent "Nature of Shinshu" series, which combines casks from this new period with casks from the old era. Sort of a Mars Uigeadail thing.

Specifics and guesses

Additional specifics of the (so far) three "Nature of Shinshu" batches are a bit confusing since different retailer sites say different things, and sometimes even jumbling the batch names (Kohiganzakura, Rindo and Shinanotanpopo). At least one of the batches has a portion of wine cask whisky and at least one has some lightly peated stuff in the mix. Some might have sherry casks, all probably have American oak casks.

Details about the cask ages from these two periods are also scrambled. But at least some data are known. This batch, Kohiganzakura, was bottled in 2016. The first era ended in 1992. So the old casks aren't younger than 23-ish years unless they were put into steel or glass before 2016, nor are they older than 31 years. The current distillation period began in February 2011, so the newer whisky element is between 3 and 5 years old.

The young stuff likely makes up the vast majority of the mix. But this makes for a nice transition as I progress toward the brand's current single malts.

---

lovely Sakura label
by Yoko Nomura
photo source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Japan, Nagano Prefecture
Age: young stuff (maybe 3-5 yrs) + old stuff (maybe 23-31 yrs)
Maturation: ???
Bottles: 5275
Alcohol by Volume: 52%
(from a purchased sample)

Its color is light gold.

Its nose is the maltiest of the group thus far. There are also flower blossoms, lemon zest and pie crust. Canned peaches and pears. Also a nice ripple of seaweed underneath. With a few drops of water it gets maltier. Lemon cake, orange marmalade and cinnamon bread.

The palate has gentle aquatic peat. Malt, apples, pears, a hint of caramel candy. Ginger beer and root beer. It's mildly sweet. Spirity, but not rough. Kinda pretty. With a few drops of water it gets bitterer, rougher, reading very young. There are some quiet florals and green apples in there.

It finishes warm, lightly sweet and tangy. Salty. Flower blossoms and caramel. With a few drops of water it gets rawer, like the palate. Maybe some citrus and vanilla.

Well, that was curious. Mars may have found the money spot at 52%abv. The nose is very pleasant throughout, but the palate is MUCH better without water. Yet, even at "MUCH better" it shows no sign of the older casks. It's young whisky. That's not a crime, but this whisky does cost three figures, and it could really use some more balance or calming from the well-matured element.

Overall, I like it. Heck, I think I prefer it over yesterday's 20yo. This is something I'd buy, but at half (or a third) of its current price. (FWIW, I enjoyed another Komagatake much more when I tried it last June (thanks to Will at Buffalo Tap in Ikebukuro).)

Availability - Europe and American specialty retailers
Pricing - US: $150-$180, Europe: $130-$160
Rating - 83 (neat only)

Shinshu Mars 20 year old 1989 single cask 618

Here's the list of the Mission: Mars whiskies thus far:
--Shinshu 12 year old 1986, cask 452 (last Tuesday)
--Shinshu 12 year old 1992, cask 1125 (yesterday)
--Shinshu 20 year old 1989, cask 618 (today!)

The first two were sherry cask single malts reduced to 43%abv. Today's whisky was bottled at 58%abv. The internets say it was from an American white oak cask, and now that I have tasted the whisky I can confirm it is INDUBITABLY from an American white oak cask. But how big was that cask?

A weird cask

American oak casks tend to be bourbon barrels (approximately 180 to 200 litres) or hogsheads (250 litres). There are plenty of American oak sherry butts out there (~500 litres), but bottlers tend to brag about the "sherry" part as they puff up the price. But there's no reference of this being a sherry butt, and there ain't no sherry action in this whisky.

I note all this because 378 bottles multiplied by 720mL (bottle volume) equals more fluid than a hogshead can hold. Even if it were a random ~275L hogshead, that would mean no whisky evaporated over the 20 years of maturation.

That leaves three possibilities for this strange single cask:
1.) The cask was a bizarre size.
2.) The cask was a butt that was never seasoned with sherry.
3.) It was a hogshead, and a lot of water was added to a very high ABV whisky. Thus it's not cask strength.

So.......what is it?

If it were option 3, and there was ZERO evaporation, then the whisky was 63.1%abv at full strength. But because chemistry is real, evaporation did occur during those twenty years. If they somehow kept liquid evaporation as low as 1%/year, then the whisky was 77.2% at cask strength!

So maybe it's option 2? That seems difficult to believe because this whisky is outrageously oaky, as if it were from a tiny cask, not like it was from a huge vessel.

Then option 1? I have no idea.

Please share your theories in the comment section below.

source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Japan, Nagano Prefecture
Age: 20 years (April 1989 to April 2009)
Maturation: American white oak
Cask #: 618
Bottles: 378
Alcohol by Volume: 58%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Its color is the darkest of all my Mars samples.

The nose leads with dusty basement and eucalyptus. Cherry candy and cherry syrup. Honey. Cinnamon candies and mint candies. A whisper of wood smoke.

The palate holds lots of sticky sweetness. Cinnamon candy, cherry lollipops and bubblegum. Salty corn chips, sawdust and that hint of wood smoke.

The sweet finish is full of bubblegum and oaky vanilla. Plenty of heat and tongue-drying tannins.

DILUTED TO ~43%abv
The nose is a bowl full of hard candies. Also vanilla and toffee. Freshly split wood. Vanilla. A hint of salty ocean air. A little bit of new make. And vanilla.

The bubblegum and lollipop notes have receded in the palate. Now there's super-tart citrus and lots of pepper. Brown sugar and burnt anise. The bitter oak feels almost smoky. And then there's the vanilla.

The finish remains quite sweet and tannic. Vanilla, bubblegum, black pepper and tart citrus

WORDS WORDS WORDS
It feels like an American single malt that was Kentuckified (matured in Kentucky; yes, Kentuckified Whisky) for 8-10 years, such is the hefty oak influence. While the previous two (diluted) sherry casks showed much maturity in a short time period, this mystery cask shows much oak, period.

It's not a bad whisky. In fact it should appeal to American whisky enthusiasts. But it's too oaky for me to recommend to those who desire whisky in their whisky. I mean, I'd happily consume it again, and further tinker with dilution. But this damn thing sold for $1050 last month. WTF? No, seriously. WTF.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - really friggin' high
Rating - 82

Shinshu Mars 12 year old 1992 single cask 1124

Okay, I'm back. I think.

Just to protect my innards, I'm consuming the 1992 (bottled at 43%abv) before the 1989 (a cask strength 58%abv). This works nicely because the 1992 has the same age, cask type and ABV as last Tuesday's 1986 single cask.

Though it was bottled exclusively for the Shinanoya shops, this release represents only half of the cask's contents. The other half was bottled for Espoa, at the same age and strength. (Curiously, the whiskybase grades for these two are quite different: see here and here.)

If you're in Tokyo, I recommend stopping by one of the Shinanoya stores. Their prices can be a bit high sometimes, but there's usually an impressive selection of whiskies from both Asian and European indie bottlers. As for Shinanoya's recent exclusive single casks, I've had only one but it was a whisky that wove tales that I'm not sure how to tell.

Because the 12yo Shinshu sherry cask from last Tuesday was so excellent, my expectations are up for this Martian.

source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Japan, Nagano Prefecture
Age: 12 years (1992-2004)
Maturation: Spanish oak sherry butt
Cask #: 1124
Bottled for: Shinanoya
Alcohol by Volume: 43%
(from a purchased sample)

Its color is a deeper gold than the '86, but not nearly as dark as the above picture illustrates.

The nose is full of lovely almond things (cookies, extract, marzipan, etc.). There are also notes of orange oil, Carpano Antica and wet sand. My groovy Armagnac cherries (which I need to make again). Soft grape and raisin notes. A hint of milk chocolate.

The palate has a gorgeous herbal bitterness. Dates, figs and a lot of funky honey. Campari, lemon peel and a hint of dunnage. The whole thing has a cask strength intensity.

It finishes earthy and herbal, with not much sweetness. Dried fruit essences. Hints of dunnage and citrus peels.

While this whisky's charms are mostly due its cask, that was one heck of a cask. It's like Kavalan's sherry cask whiskies, but better, because Kavalan doesn't slug like this at 43%abv. In fact, it's tough to find any sherried whiskies at 12yo/43%abv with the richness of these first two Shinshus. How on Earth did they do this?

Availability - Secondary market, if you're lucky
Pricing - sold for £180 and £330 at auctions in the past twelve months, so who knows
Rating - 88

Shinshu Mars 12 year old 1986 single cask 452

My daughter's preschool class is learning how to share, which is GREAT now that they've given me their stomach virus. Thanks, kids!

Mathilda's ability to pull off the boot-and-rally is truly admirable. I, on the other hand, have seemed to misplace the past 24 hours, and a considerable amount of bodily fluid along with it.

Luckily, all the tasting notes below were typed two days ago (or was it three?). And there's a possibility that the Mars sequence will now last three weeks rather than two. Yay!

Speaking of which, the first Shinshu Mars whisky from my Mission: Mars series is the earliest of the bunch, a single sherry cask from 1986. It was diluted to 43%abv. Will that be an issue?

photo source

Brand: Mars
Distillery: Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Region: Japan, Nagano Prefecture
Age: 12 years (December 12, 1986 - ???)
Maturation: ex-sherry cask
Cask #: 452
Bottled for: Espoa
Alcohol by Volume: 43%
(from a purchased sample)

Its color is light gold.

The nose opens gradually. It starts off with pipe tobacco and hot cocoa. Then there's plums, jelly rings and dried apricots. Then damp forest and lime zest. With 30+ minutes in the glass it gets more candied: grape gumdrops, orange slices and candied ginger. An ocean/briny note lingers throughout.

The palate starts off salty and savory, but not meaty. More like umeboshi. It's also a bit earthy. Some bitter chocolate and dried berries. Hints of oak spice, mint leaves and cabernet sauvignon. The mouthfeel is enormous for its ABV.

The finish has a good length to it. Tart and tangy citrus. Sea salt and mint leaves. Fresh tobacco. Blackberry syrup. Oolong tea.

I'm not sure what's more remarkable, the nose's depth or the palate's expanse. Would anyone would guess this was a 43%abv 12 year old if it were tasted blindly? My expectations were foolishly set low for this magical wee thing. The rest of these whiskies have their work cut out for 'em.

Availability - Secondary market, if you're lucky
Pricing - sold for £195 at auction last year, though whiskybase estimates a higher value
Rating - 90

Mission: Mars. Two weeks of Shinshu whisky!

Plenty of digital ink has been spilt over Suntory's and Nikka's whiskies on this blog and others. Chichibu's single malt has garnered raves from everyone who can afford a bottle of the magical baby whisky. And then there are the Japanese whiskies that are actually sorta kinda Scotch whiskies that have left plenty of people a grumpy shade of nonplussed.

All that noise covers up the fact that there are other functioning Japanese whisky distilleries. Some of which produce quality products. One of these active facilities is Shinshu distillery.

Photo by whiskymizuwari

Hombo Spirits, who also produce shochu and plum wine, have taken a few swings at whisky production:

• Yamanashi Distillery: opened 1960, closed 1969
• Kagoshima Distillery: opened 1978, closed 1984
• Shinshu Distillery: opened 1985, closed 1992
• Shinshu Distillery: opened 2011
• Tsunuki Distillery: opened 2016

While you may not have heard these names before, the Hombo distilleries' whisky brand name might just be familiar — Mars.

Located in the Japanese Alps, Shinshu is the highest distillery in Japan, a full 400 feet up from its neighbor, Hakushu. Shinshu produces four distillates, with peat levels of 0ppm, 3.5ppm, 20ppm and 50ppm.

Photo by Spirits Business

Hombo opened Tsunuki distillery (Japan's southernmost whisky facility) in 2016 and intends to have a single malt ready for Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympics. Though the Tsunuki produces the same four distillates as Shinshu, it (and its warehouses) are near sea level and experience warmer weather.

Thanks to a set of samples sold by Whiskybase Shop, I'll be taking a little tour of Mars. I'll start with a few sips from Shinshu's first era, then gradually proceed to more current offerings. My Martian experience is limited, so this is a great Opportunity to satisfy my Curiosity about whether there is life on Mars.