The Mars Shinshu Mars Maltage Cosmo

Mars Maltage Cosmo is a no age statement blended malt from Mars Shinshu, the Hombo Shuzo distillery sitting at roughly 800 metres in the Central Alps of Nagano, Japan's highest whisky-making site. Restarted in 2011 after a long hiatus, the distillery produces a clean, mountain-influenced spirit, and the Cosmo expression blends that character across multiple casks for a globally released bottling.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon casks, the whisky shows fresh fruit, honey and new wood alongside a sandy, lightly smoky quality typical of the distillery's young, clean new make. The light body and accessible 43% bottling strength keep it open and inviting, a good introduction to the high-altitude Nagano house style.