Located high in the Japanese Alps in Nagano Prefecture, the Mars Shinshu distillery has beer brewery Minami Shishu Brewery as its neighbour. Both the whisky distillery and craft brewery use pure mineral water from the mountain in their facilities and production. Whisky maturation is encouraged by short hot summers, with long cold winters providing a slow and gentle maturation and a break. For the 2020 release of the Mars Komagatake IPA Cask Finish Single Malt Japanese Whisky, traditional oak barrels were used for the 3 year maturation. Following this, the single malt is aged further in casks used for the production of Indian Pale Ale. This provides a subtle and unique essence of beer character.

Mars Shinshu was founded in 1949 but didn’t start making whisky until their distillery was nestled high in the Japanese Alps in 1985. This is a limited release Mars Iwai Tradition blended whisky released in 2021 that has spent extra time maturing in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks which give a delicious sweetness to the whisky. Pedro Ximenez is a Spanish white grape variety, and this sherry is well known for its intense sweetness as a dessert-style sherry. Showing lovely amber colour with sweet notes such as brown sugar, maple syrup on the nose. It has a smooth mouthfeel and rich texture with sweet honey burned sugar cane and sweet peat on the palate. A distinctive rich full body finishes with cacao and a hint of bitter chocolate. Complex and well-balanced whisky.

Komagatake Yakushima Aging 2019 single malt from Mars Whisky is distilled at Shinshu Distillery lin the Japanese Alps. The casks were later transferred for aging on the island of Yakushima, in the south of the country where Mars Whisky installed one of its cellars.

Special single cask whisky - distilled at Mars Whisky's Shinshu Distillery in Nagano Prefecture in 2013 and aged in Bourbon barrel in stone cellar at Tsunuki Distillery in tropical Kagoshima Prefecture till 2017. Excellent balance between sweetness from Bourbon barrel and its peat character with citrus character like orange and kumquat. Beautiful expression of tropical environment, full body leads sweet finish with hint of roasted nuts and biscuits or custard.

Mars Iwai Tradition Japanese Whisky is soft and rounded, yet full bodied and mellow. The nose gives sweet honey, leading to a complex, peaty full bodied palate which gives sweet peat, orange marmalade, maple, burnt sugar cane, cedar and cigar.

Mars Shinshu was founded in 1949 but didn’t start making whisky until their distillery was nestled high in the Japanese Alps in 1985. Iwai is a blend of mostly corn and some malted barley. It is aged entirely in used bourbon barrels. A rich golden colour whisky with light, sweet, and floral fragrances with notes of dark cacao and sweet pear. A beautifully soft body and underlying flavours of allspice and dried fig. Aged in sherry, bourbon, and American white oaks.

Tsunuki Distillery is the second distillery of Mars Whisky and is in the Kagoshima Prefecture in the south of Japan and was built in 2016. The location of this distillery is also the birthplace of their business Hombo Shuzo Co. more than 100 years ago. The name tells you this single malt is distilled and matured at Tsunuki, and this is its 2nd release after Tsunuki The First. Beautiful pure water is used, and the natural environment with day and night-time temperature change has a considerable and unique influence on this whisky. This single malt was matured in bourbon barrels and is a showcase of peat character. It has shiny amber colour as a sign of age. The nose shows sweet scents like banana, honey and custard with gorgeous peat smokiness. Clean warm textured mouthfeel is followed by barley and crisp apple, and the finish is long and complex with peat and hints of yellow fruits. This whisky is non-chill filtered to keep all good flavours.

Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Whisky is an amber gold in colour. On the nose are hints of spicy stewed pears, walnut slices, and prunes. It is a light-to-medium bodied whisky with malt flavours and a smokey but sweet overlay. The finish is long with a mildly oily but spicy flavour. Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Whiskey is aged in sherry, bourbon, and American White Oak new casks. Cosmo is named after a mountain in the Japan Central Alps close to the Mars Whisky Distillery.