Mars Tsunuki 2017 Cask #T132

Distilled at Tsunuki in 2017 and bottled at 4 Years Old in 2021, this is a single cask single malt from Hombo Shuzo's Kagoshima distillery, selected from cask T132, an Oloroso sherry hogshead, and released for the Japan market. Tsunuki opened in 2016 in the warm and humid climate of southern Kyushu, a setting that intensifies wood extraction and builds fruit character early in the maturation cycle.

The Oloroso hogshead is the notable departure for this cask, providing dried fruit, dark chocolate and gentle nuttiness where the majority of Tsunuki's output is aged in Ex-Bourbon casks. At 4 Years Old and 58%, the spirit is compact and concentrated, with the sherry cask lending enough fruit weight to balance the young grain character. Where specific tasting notes were not entered for this bottling, the typical result from an Oloroso hogshead in Tsunuki's climate at this age shows raisin, walnut and cocoa alongside the distillery's baseline citric freshness.