Mars Iwai Tradition Sakura Cask Finish

Hombo Shuzo, the company behind Mars Distillery, produces many different styles of alcohol, starting with shochu in the early 1900s. They really started producing whisky in 1949 with the help of Mr. Kiichiro Iwai, an icon in the Japanese Whisky world. Shinshu is the main distillery which is in the Nagano Alps and Japan’s highest whisky distillery. The second is the Tsunuki distillery in Kagoshima, an island in the south of Japan. In this release, they have taken their classic Iwai Tradition blended whisky and finished it in Chestnut Casks.

The Sakura casks are sourced from Ariake Sangyo Co., Japan’s only independent cooperage; the casks are rectangular due to the wood not being able to hold well in a traditional cask shape. Mash bill of 70% corn and 30% malted barley aged between 2–5 years in ex-bourbon, sherry, and American oak casks before finishing. Nose of honey, straw, and apricot jam with floral highlights transitions to a brandy-like roundness on the palate with a finish of cotton candy and ripe red berries. Bottled at 40% abv.