Mars Tsunuki 2016 (LMDW)

Distilled at Tsunuki in 2016 and bottled in 2021 at 5 Years Old, this is a single cask single malt selected by La Maison du Whisky as an event release, matching the distillery's inaugural year stocks. Tsunuki sits at the southern end of Kyushu in Kagoshima prefecture, operated by Hombo Shuzo, where the warm and humid subtropical climate drives a faster and richer maturation than Japan's cooler inland distilleries.

Matured in a first fill bourbon barrel and bottled at 60% cask strength, this cask has received the full impact of new American oak over five years in the Kagoshima heat. The first fill format maximises vanilla and woodspice extraction, and at this age in that climate the spirit typically shows ripe fruit, coconut and caramel with a warming, gently spiced finish. A companion cask to JP27322016 from the same vintage and format, offering close comparison of individual barrel variation from Tsunuki's founding year.