Mars Tsunuki 2016 (LMDW)

Distilled at Tsunuki in 2016, the distillery's inaugural year, and bottled at 5 Years Old in 2021, this is a single cask single malt selected by La Maison du Whisky as an event release. Tsunuki is Hombo Shuzo's Kagoshima distillery, opened in 2016 on the southern tip of Kyushu, where the subtropical warmth and high humidity accelerate the interaction between young spirit and the cask, giving even short-matured releases a degree of richness unusual for their age.

The cask is a first fill bourbon barrel, delivering its full complement of vanilla, coconut and wood sweetness directly to the spirit over five years in Kagoshima's climate. At 61% cask strength, the whisky retains its full intensity. Where specific tasting notes are not listed, the typical character from Tsunuki's first fill bourbon stocks at this age shows tropical fruit, caramel and a clean grain freshness from the young make. A historically significant bottling from the distillery's founding vintage.