• Annual, limited release blended Japanese whisky from Mars Komagatake (fka Mars Shinshu) in Nagano, Japan
• Distilled from 70% malted barley and 30% corn in copper pot stills
• Iwai Tradition, from the Mars entry-level range, is finished in Japanese chestnut wood casks for 4 months; non-age statement
• Iwai Tradition is aged primarily in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks (other cask types including ex-wine, port, & new oak may vary batch to batch)
• Brown sugar, maple syrup, and toasted grains on the nose; gentle tannin on the mid-palate lends structure to rich maltiness. An elegant finish lingers long with notes of cacao.
• 40% ABV
Chestnuts are a favorite cold-weather food in Japan, and this limited edition release—entitled Fuyu, meaning “winter” in Japanese—celebrates this savory and highly seasonal treat by imparting core Iwai Tradition whisky with a touch of roasted sweetness from time spent in chestnut wood.
Sandwiched between Japan’s soaring Southern Alps and the towering Central Alps, at just over 2,600 feet, Mars Shinshu is Japan’s highest whisky distillery. The Hombo family have been distilling for more than a century and they added whisky to their repertoire in 1949. Back then the distillery was located inKagoshima Prefecture on the southern most island of Kyushu. Until 1984, it was the southernmost whisky made in Japan, which ended with the Hombo clan moving the distillery to the idyllic alpine setting of Miyada village in southern Nagano Prefecture. They chose this site for its cool temps, which slowed maturation, and the plentiful, soft, granite filtered snowmelt fed aquifers. Smart choice. The whiskies are elegant, smooth and very complex.