Shinshu Mars Komagatake - The Revival 2011

The first bottling since the restart of the Mars Komagatake distillery in 2011. Limited to 6000 bottles and bottled at 58% vol. cask strength. Aged for 3 years in bourbon casks.

• Nose: Intensive pear juice, some light smoke and peat, fermented apples, glue and vanilla
• Mouth: Very light without much body, a bit pepper
• Finish: Pepper, glue, a bit sharp, vanilla flavored yogurt, apple, cinnamon

Comment: Definitely a bit young, but a powerful complex nose. This has a lot of potential i think.

80 points

Shinshu Mars 1992 for Shinanoya #1143

This Shinshu Mars was bottled for Shinanoya in 2004 and is 12 years old. Aged in an American white oak cask and bottled at 43% vol. in 720ml bottles.

• Nose: Tropical fruits, oak, honey, strawberries, sweet herbal tea
• Mouth: Oak and malt, spices, relatively dry
• Finish: Malt, burnt cookies, oak, grassy, malt, dry and not overly long

Comment: Very nice nose, full and fruity but the mouth and finish can't keep up. Maybe partly due to the 43% vol. A little bit more would have helped for sure, as it stands it feels a little bit shallow.

84 points

Shinshu Mars Komagatake 10yo Wine Cask Finish

A ten year old wine cask finished malt bottled at 40% vol from the Shinshu Mars distillery. Limited to 500 bottles. Some pretty good info about the distillery can be found on the Whisky Mizuwari Blog.

• Nose: Cedar wood, red wine acidity, the malt hides a bit in the background, a little bit honey and some red berries
• Mouth: Oily, a little bit acidity, woods
• Finish: Smokey, oily, red berries, medium long

Comment: I feel the red wine finish overpowers the malt on the nose and mouth. I don't have too much experience with wine finish, but this one only works okay'ish in my opinion and maybe the malt would haven even been better off without the finish.

81 points

Shinshu Mars Kagoshima - 1984 - Sherry Cask, 25 years

Here my tasting notes of a rather obscure Japanese whisky. The Kagoshima whisky distillery closed down in 1984 although they still produce shochu. Now Shinshu Mars distilles their whisky at the Komagatake distillery opened in 1985.
The Malt of Kagoshima, 1984 - 2009, 25yo, Sherry Cask, 3018 Bottles, 46%

• Nose: Vanilla, creamy, a bit mineralic, a bit sherry, slight bit peat
• Mouth: Arabic spices, fruits - bananas and grapes (muscat type), dry'ish
• Finish: sherry, grapes, chili, maggi, cedar wood, dry but fruity. A bit water brings out vanilla in the finish.

Comments: Very enjoyable and unique profile. Doesn't take water well. Bottles can still be found for around 200€.

87 points