The Mars Shinshu Mars Komagatake

Mars Komagatake is the signature single malt of Mars Shinshu, Hombo Shuzo's distillery in Miyada, Nagano, operating at Japan's highest altitude for whisky production. The 2022 global release at 50% cask strength draws on Ex-Bourbon maturation, the most common wood type in the Komagatake annual series, and is bottled without an age statement.

The flavour profile, citric, fragrant and fresh-fruited with honey and an unusual coal-gas mineral note, reflects the clean, mountain-influenced Mars Shinshu distillate as it interacts with bourbon wood. The coal-gas character, a minor aromatic note, is a distinctive element that sets the 2022 edition apart within the Komagatake annual sequence. At 50% the bottling has both weight and freshness, making it one of the fuller expressions in the cask strength Komagatake range.