Japanese single malt whisky has been steadily on the rise in both popularity and brand saturation over the last few years. The Mars Distillery is an important one to highlight for their excellence and longevity in whisky making. This smaller distillery, not owned by a conglomerate, has consistently produced diverse examples of fine Japanese whisky. This selection is a brand-new limited edition annual release from Mars Komagatake Distillery (fka Shinshu). It is also, sadly, the last of these annual experimentations. This release will give way to a core Komagatake product that will now not change year to year but will stay a consistent recipe. An end of an era. But we have the last bottle to celebrate!
かんぱい!
Will Popko
Spirits Buyer
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Mars Komagatake Edition 2024 |
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Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan |
Located between Japan’s soaring Southern Alps and the towering Central Alps, at just over 2,600 feet, Mars Shinshu (Komagatake) is Japan’s highest whisky distillery. The Hombo family, the Mars proprietors, have been distilling for more than a century and added whisky to their repertoire in 1949. Until 1984, when located in the Tsunuki region, it was the southernmost whisky made in Japan, which ended when the Hombo clan moved the distillery to the idyllic alpine setting of Miyada village in southern Nagano Prefecture, Central Japan. They chose this site for its cool temperature, which slowed maturation, and the plentiful soft granite filtered snowmelt fed aquifers. A beautiful choice. In 2016, Hombo Shuzo reopened and introduced new pot stills to their first distillery located in Kagoshima now known as the Mars Tsunuki Distillery. They also built an aging facility on a tiny island known as Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where they now age spirits from both Shinshu and Tsunuki distilleries. Mars produces a wide variety of whisky, from high-ball designed mixing whiskies to super limited collectible rarities, and everything in between. The Komagatake Single Malt 2024 Edition is a new watermark for this historic Nagano-based distillery. Every year, or edition, there has been a different recipe, but this is the first 100% unseated release. Composed of 100% malted barley, aged at least 4 years, twice distilled in copper pot stills, and primarily aged in ex-bourbon barrels with support from sherry and a variety of wine casks, this is the last vintaged Komagatake release from the Mars Distillery. |
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Cask Type: ex-bourbon, sherry and unspecified wine casks |
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ABV: 50% |
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Price: $129.99/700mL |
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Tasting Notes: Nose: bright apricot, banana, orange peel, spiced apple Palate: rich maple syrup, hazelnut, persimmon jam Finish: deep sherry |
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