Description
Mars Komagatake Single Cask Odoroshi Tsunuki Aging is a single-cask bottling drawn from one barrel and impossible to replicate, made for the enthusiast who wants a Mars expression no one else will taste quite the same way.
Process & Profile
Distilled at Hombo Shuzo’s alpine Komagatake Distillery in Nagano and then carried south to mature at the Mars Tsunuki Distillery in Kagoshima, this is a study in Japan’s climatic extremes. Tsunuki opened in November 2016 on the birthplace of the Hombo family enterprise — a house that distilled shochu for more than a century before adding whisky in 1949 — and its warm, humid southern air pushes maturation harder than the cool mountains ever could. Drawn from a single cask and bottled at cask strength (this series has been released around 54% ABV), each barrel carries its own fingerprint.
On the nose, toasted almond, baked apple, honey and bright citrus peel.
On the palate, vanilla and whipped cream give way to orchard fruit, a dusting of cinnamon and a quiet thread of peat.
The finish is warm and rounded, soft smoke trailing the sweet fruit.
Unlike Mars’s core mountain-matured Komagatake, this is a single cask finished in a wholly different climate — the reason two barrels of the same distillate can taste worlds apart, and why single-cask Tsunuki bottlings are chased by collectors.
Serve neat in a Glencairn; add water sparingly to coax out the almond and cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this whisky?
A single-cask Mars single malt distilled at Komagatake in Nagano and matured at Tsunuki Distillery in Kagoshima.
What are the specs?
Cask strength (around 54% ABV), 700 mL, single cask, matured in Japan’s warm southern climate at Tsunuki.
What does it taste like?
Almond, apple and citrus on the nose; vanilla, cream and soft peat on the palate; a warm, smoky-sweet finish.
How should you enjoy it?
Neat in a Glencairn, with water added sparingly.
Why is this release notable?
It is a single, unrepeatable cask matured at Tsunuki, opened in 2016 on the Hombo family’s ancestral site.
