Mars Shinshhu Kasei Blended Whiskey / 40% / 0.7l

“Kasei” translates to “Mars” from Japanese, and the Mars Kasei whisky presented here is a blend of an undisclosed formula (we only know that the components came from different types of barrels) commissioned by Parisian La Maison du Whisky.

The family-owned Hombo Shuzo company began producing whisky in 1948 by blending its own product with unaged grain distillates. In 1985, the operation was moved to Nagano Prefecture, but as interest in whisky waned, production was suspended in 1992. Less than 20 years later, in 2011, the distillery was distilling whisky again, although only in the winter months. Shinshu Mars is the highest distillery in Japan (798 m above sea level). It is located in the village of Miyada, Nagano Prefecture, in the picturesque Japanese Alps.

Nose: fruity-floral, apples, peaches, summer meadow, hay, sweet cereals, a bit of vanilla, oak and a distant whiff of smoke.

Taste : mild, vanilla, caramel, a bit of honey, baked apples, grapes, banana cake, traces of hay and peat smoke.

Finish: medium long, with notes of caramel, vanilla, citrus and to a lesser extent oak and peat.