Distiller Notes
This compelling single malt from Mars Whisky is first distilled at the Mars Shinshu Distillery in Nagano (Japan’s highest elevation distillery) and then transferred to southern Japan’s Yakushima Island, a World Heritage Site known for 1000-year-old cedar trees, untouched nature, and rain that falls over 300 days a year. The extreme changes in elevation, temperature and humidity that this cask-strength whiskey experiences create notes of clover honey and dried apricot that evolve into wildflower honey and peppery spice on the long, lingering finish.
Proof: 116
Sharing a great deal with Scotch in terms of production methods and ingredients, today’s hugely successful commercial market of Japanese Whisky owes much to the research of Masataka Taketsuru. In 1918, this Japanese national travelled to Scotland with the intention of studying organic chemistry but instead became fascinated with Scotch Whisky production. Similar to Scotch Whisky, Japanese Whisky also uses malted barley as the fermentation base and long-term aging in wooden barrels. However, the often-used Mizunara oak, rather than French or American oak, imparts uniquely spicy and citrus-like characteristics to a Japanese Whisky.