Mars Komagatake Wine Cask Finish Single Malt (70cl, 52%)

This is a Japanese single malt from the Mars Shinshu distillery, released in a limited edition of 1,000 bottles. It is bottled at 52% ABV in a 70cl bottle. The whisky is a vatting of single malts from the 2011 vintage, matured in sherry and American white oak casks, then finished in barrels that previously held Japanese red wine from Yamanashi. The red wine casks have a marked influence on the character. The nose and palate bring grape, strawberry and cherry, alongside biscuit, cocoa and vanilla, with sherry, tannin and oak behind them. Very slight smoke appears at the end.