Mars Komagatake Japanese Spring

On the nose, this whisky reveals malty, gourmand notes, accompanied by fruits such as apricot, peach and apple, as well as delicate nuances of white flowers and vanilla. On the palate, the oily texture offers an exotic sensory experience, with notes of pineapple, ripe banana, and a bitter sweetness of candied orange and quince paste. Richness and complexity are accentuated by nuances of honey, spices like cocoa powder, and dried fruits like hazelnuts, which stand out on the finish. The finish is elegant, long and sweet, with notes of chestnut and a subtle orange bitterness that linger delicately.

The Komagatake Japanese Spring single malt blend is half first-fill bourbon casks, complemented by American white oak and virgin oak casks, forming a balanced marriage. Added to this is a subtle but crucial touch of sherry casks, having contained lightly peated whiskies between 0 and 3.5 ppm, for extra complexity and depth. All the single malts in this limited edition have been aged in the cellars of the Shinshu distillery, nestled 700 meters above sea level in the heart of the central Japanese Alps. Each year, from April onwards, the distillery is progressively adorned with pink flowers as the bloom moves from the south to the north of the archipelago, offering a fruity, elegant whisky where this panorama of pink and white accompanies the melting of the snow.

This “Japanese Spring” limited series has been created by Mars Whisky to capture the essence of Japanese spring, a season synonymous with sweetness and cherry blossom, often celebrated by the Japanese through the tradition of hanami (literally, “looking at the flowers”). The concept of this series highlights Mars' three aging sites: Yakushima, Tsunuki and Shinshu, each bringing a unique dimension by symbolizing a stage in Japan's cherry blossom season, from south to north. The labels of these whiskies illustrate this floral progression: Yakushima, with its tropical, maritime climate, Tsunuki, offering a deep, energetic whisky, and Shinshu, with a fruity, elegant whisky. This limited series of 400 bottles of each version, adorned with pink flowers, offers a taste of Japanese spring all year round.