Mars Komagatake Shinshu Aging French Connections Cask 1789 (70cl, 61%)

This is a Japanese whisky from Mars, from Komagatake, in the Shinshu Aging French Connections series. It comes from cask 1789 and is bottled at 61% in a 70cl bottle. The colour is deep gold. The nose is exotic, with pineapple, banana, vanilla, hay and pepper, and develops ripe pears, acacia honey and rum baba. On the palate, liquorice-tinged malt gives way to nutmeg, clove and cinnamon, then coconut, wax, pancakes and maple syrup. The finish is long and dense, with honey, mint and malt, ending on vanilla custard and a little peanut.