Mars Komagatake – 40th Anniversary Special Edition (70cl, 50%)

This is a Japanese single malt from the Mars Komagatake distillery, released for its 40th anniversary. It was bottled in November 2025 in a run of 5000 bottles, in a 70cl bottle at 50% ABV, without chill-filtration or added colour. The whisky is a vatting of malts distilled in the 1980s, 1990s, 2010s and 2020s. The 2000s are absent because distilling was paused from 1992 until 2011. The casks include ex-bourbon, sherry and American oak, and the spirit matured at the Komagatake and Tsunuki distilleries and the Yakushima ageing cellar. The nose combines apple jam, ripe apricot and melon with vanilla and mature oak. On the palate, raisin and maple syrup sweetness meet cinnamon spice, sweet chestnut and dark chocolate. The finish is long, creamy and sweet, with a light spicy bitterness.