Mars Komagatake – 2017 Single Malt Heavily Peated Single Cask Japanese Whisky (70cl, 61%)

This is a heavily peated single malt from the Mars Komagatake distillery in Japan, drawn from a single first-fill bourbon barrel of American oak. It is 6 years old and bottled at a natural cask strength of 61%. The barrel, number BJ3636, yielded 184 bottles, shared between Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The nose combines fresh green fruit, sweet citrus, vanilla cookies and earthy peat smoke. The palate brings lemon tart, salted caramel, smoked bacon and oak spice. The finish is long, with warm spice, earthy smoke and dark chocolate.