MARS - 2016 Single Cask 2069 - Tsunuki Yakushima Aging - Bottled in 2021 - 61%
The Shinshu Distillery is an integral part of Hombo Shuzo (also known as Hombo Brewing Co.), a historic player in the world of Japanese whisky. The whisky produced by this prestigious house is marketed under the renowned brand Mars Whisky. Founded in 1872 by Honbu Matsusa, the company is ideally located at 800 meters altitude in the picturesque village of Miyata, on the Japanese island of Kyushu. In 1949, Hombo Shuzo obtained a license to produce whisky at the Kagoshima distillery, before subsequently transferring all its production to the Shinshu distillery. Despite a production pause due to low demand in 1992, the distillery was reborn in 2012, resuming regular and quality production. Among the flagship products of this distillery are the Komagatake, an exceptional Single Malt whisky named after the majestic nearby mountain, as well as the Mars Maltage Cosmo, launched in July 2015, a tribute to the unique site of the distillery and the starry sky visible from Mount Komagatake.
This limited edition was specially created to celebrate the 65th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky. It is the very first project called the 'Single Cask Project' which explores the different influences of the whisky aging sites distilled at Tsunuki. All barrels come from the same batch distilled at Tsunuki and mature in Bourbon casks at three distinct sites: Tsunuki, Yakushima, and Shinshu, for about 4 years, thus revealing unique aromatic profiles depending on their aging location. This exceptional whisky was distilled in 2016 and comes from barrel number 2069.