Mars Komagatake 4 year old 2015, cask 1940 for Total Wine

As I referenced the other day, Mars has released a couple hundred single casks from the Shinshu distillery under the the Komagatake brand name. A few of those casks even made it to American shores. Today's heater (62%abv) was a single bourbon cask sold exclusively through Total Wine & More, a retailer I've missed dearly since moving to Ohio.

This will be my sixth contemporary Komagatake single cask, all have been 3 to 4 years old, and the previous five scored between 78 and 84. My expectations are thusly not set that high for this 4-year-old. If it's good though, I'll pine for Total Wine even more.

Distillery: Mars Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Brand: Komagatake
Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Age: 4 years (May 2015 - September 2019)
Maturation: bourbon cask
Cask #: 1940
Outturn: 208 bottles
Exclusive to: Total Wine & More
Alcohol by Volume: 62%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose remains tight, even after 30 minutes of air. At first it's just malt, brine, and a lot of lavender soap. It slowly picks up notes of cinnamon schnapps and vanilla-bean-infused bourbon. The very bourbony palate is full of barrel char and vanilla, with jasmine rice and simple syrup in the middle, and lime juice in the back. Numbing heat cancels out the finish for the first two sips. Then it's a belt of vanilla simple syrup and lime juice.

It may need water...

DILUTED to ~50%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Ah, more approachable. Green apple candy, Barbasol shaving cream, and lemony soap start the nose, with vanilla and flower blossoms appearing later. The palate stays simple: Mint, witbier, malt, and a bitter touch. It finishes minty and tangy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This was such a half-baked mess when neat that I wasn't even inspired to add water, but thankfully I did because that rescued it, slightly. Maybe it requires further dilution. Or maybe the cask's contents weren't yet fully baked. I'm leaning towards the latter. The active oak might make it appealing to bourbon drinkers. But even the Quercus alba can't hide an incomplete whisky. I'm thankful I didn't buy a bottle from TW&M. And I'm glad the next three Komagatake casks are older.

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 76 (once diluted)

Mars Komagatake 2022 Edition

The Hombo Shuzo Company made multiple attempts at establishing consistent whisky production. The family-run company earned their whisky license in 1949, but didn't build their first distillery until 1960, in Yamanashi. Kiichiro Iwai, one of the men who sent Masataka Taketsuru to Scotland to learn the whisky trade in 1918, oversaw production at the distillery until his death in 1966. The distillery closed in 1969 because its whisky did not sell well among its Japanese customers. Another distillery was built in Kagoshima a few years later, but that one closed soon after as well. The issue with the Kagoshima distillery was the same as that of the Yamanashi distillery, the Scottish-style proved too heavy for the Japanese consumers at the time. Lighter spirit was needed.

In 1984, Shinshu Distillery opened in the Japanese Alps. The source water was softer up there, while the temperature and altitude would result in slow maturation. Shinshu experienced limited success until 1992, when Japan's recession and decline in whisky sales forced the distillery to close. As whisky sales started to climb worldwide in 2011, the distillery reopened. The distillery hasn't closed since, but did install brand new stills in 2014. Hombo Shuzo opened a second distillery, Tsunuki, in Kagoshima again, so they could go back to producing a heavier spirit, now more appreciated worldwide.

Shinshu Distillery single malts, from both production eras, are released under the Komagatake brand. Over 200 different Komagatake whiskies have been released over the years. Malts distilled during the more recent era first appeared in 2014 with Shinshu's 3 year old whisky.

Since 2020, the distillery has released an annual 50%abv NAS small batch single malt. I had the chance to try a few of the editions while in Japan, but this is my first opportunity to try one while inside my hermetically sealed whisky laboratory. Did I say laboratory? I meant lavatory.

Distillery: Mars Shinshu
Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Brand: Komagatake
Region: Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Age: at least 3 years old
Maturation: allegedly bourbon, sherry, and port casks

Bottling year: 2022
Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The yeasty, malty nose dishes out bananas, lager, apricots, cinnamon, lumber, and circus peanuts. The rawness of the palate surprises, even though, as a 3yo palate it shouldn't. It's floral and sweet, with lots of marshmallows. Honey on Irish soda bread. Maybe a hint of smoke. It finishes even sweeter, like agave nectar and vanilla.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose shows more vanilla and lager, but also offers hints of tobacco, mango peel, and oloroso. Lots of tangy new make leads the palate, with lime and vanilla in the midground, sweat and tannins in the background. The finish lasts longer with a mix of lemons and tannins.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Slightly disappointing, this whisky fell short of my previous Komagatake experiences, and the Whiskybase community's feelings about this whisky. It's not terrible stuff, just very sweet, very limited baby malt. Many of us (including this reviewer) want to love Komagatake, but it's difficult to get a legitimate read on how a ~3yo whisky fits into a distillery's bigger picture. With that in mind, four single casks will follow!

Availability - At a few dozen retailers in the US and Europe
Pricing - $110 to $180
Rating - 78

Mars Iwai Tradition Blended Whisky (white label)

I won't be traveling to Japan this year, so I'll pelt you with some more Japanese whisky reviews instead! It's what Saint Padraig would have wanted.

In addition to bottling single malts from their Shinshu and Tsunuki distilleries, the Mars folks also fashion a bunch of blends, with the Iwai range being the most popular. There's the Iwai 45, with a higher ABV, yet grain whisky driven, and there's the standard Iwai Tradition. The Tradition has more malt than the 45, but also has the minimal ABV, 40%. I'm not sure I understand the logic behind that, but so it goes.

Some actual tinkering goes on in the Tradition. The blenders mix bourbon, sherry, and red wine casks, while also applying a little bit of peated malt. Were all the ingredients distilled at the Hombo Shuzo facilities? Heck, were all the ingredients distilled in Japan? I'm going to guess "No" to both now that the label no longer reads "Blended Japanese Whisky", but rather Mars Whisky.

More importantly, does it taste good? Tonight I'm matching it up with the less-than-inspiring, and more expensive, Ichiro's Malt & Grain, Classical Edition.

Ownership: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.

Brand: Mars

Type: Blended Whisky
Region: Japan and ???

Age: ???

Maturation: bourbon, sherry, and red wine casks

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Chillfitered? maybe

e150? probably, with its Diageo-esque orange hue
(from a bottle split)

HIGHBALLS

I'm getting nothing but very sweet grain, vanilla, and some tanginess in the background. The Ichiro's highball is creamier and toastier.

NEAT

Though the nose does lead with a layer of charred America oak, there are more interesting notes of peach candy, barley grist, plaster, corn flakes, and coal in the mid- and background. The simple, pleasant palate offers oranges, roses, and vanilla custard up front, and dates(!) in the back. Peach skins, bitter citrus pith, and roses finish it up.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I like this much more than expected, especially since its finish sticks the landing. It's the rare blend that works best when served neatly. With its US prices as low as $25 — no, there are no missing zeros — Iwai Tradition trounces all the major entry-level scotch blends. I might even purchase a bottle regret-free if/when I'm in the right location. Perhaps I should review a few more Mars whiskies.....

Availability - At your favorite specialty liquor retailer
Pricing - $25-$60 in the USA
Rating - 81

Yoichi Aromatic Yeast

Look at me reviewing two NAS blends in a row! I will correct that today with a single malt......that is also NAS? Yay? But it's Yoichi. Yay. And the producers have tinkered with its yeast. Yay!

I still think yeast is the next (and final?) frontier for distillers. The world's preferred drug is farted out by those precious little critters — the yeast, not the distillers, probably — so why not find out what different strains will do under different conditions?! 95+% of whisky products use the most productive yeast strains, not for the sake of the product itself, but for financial purposes. Their goal is to squeeze out as many alcoholic yeast toots per barley microgram as possible, not to introduce more fruity esters to their spirit.

Yeast experiments are scarce among whiskymakers, while cask experiments (the pig's lipstick) are legion. So, when Nikka dug into their library of 700 different yeast strains to produce two unique versions of their Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts as part of their Discovery Series, I was very interested in the results.

Unfortunately, these NAS Nikka Discovery Series bottlings carry significant prices. The Yoichi and Miyagikyo Aromatic Yeast expressions are $250-$300 each. As a result, bottles are still available throughout Europe and the US, three years after their release.

Luckily, the Doctors Springbank scored me a 2oz sample of the Yoichi edition. For perspective, I'm lining it up against the current standard Yoichi NAS.

Distillery: Yoichi
Ownership: Nikka
Range: Discovery Series
Region: Hokkaidō, Japan
Age: ????
Maturation: ???
Outturn: 4,800 bottles
Release year: 2022
Alcohol by Volume: 48%
(sample courtesy of the Doctors Springbank)

NOTES

Fruit indeed in the nose; mostly dried apricot, dried peaches, oranges peels, grapefruit, and apple peels. Notes of nutritional yeast, brine, band-aids, and mocha blend well with those fruits.

The palate reads so unpeated that it feels like a Speyside. Limes, fresh apricots, and almond extract arrive first. Baked apples and Cara Cara oranges next. It picks up a nice spicy zing after a while. And then, of all things, cheesecake!

It finishes with a touch of sweetness to go with a zesty tartness. Picture a mix of Cara Cara oranges, limes, and baked apples.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Had you told me this was a 15-20yo Glenburgie, I would've believed you. In fact, with its phenolic touches, it may be a little more complex than some of the indie 'Burgie single casks. The lack of public enthusiasm for this whisky may prove detrimental to future "Aromatic Yeast" editions, but all those bottles likely remain on the shelves because of the price and the lack of age statement. I will hold out naïve hope that this experiment isn't a one-time thing.

Availability - Still quite available as of the date of this review
Pricing - $250ish in the US, $200-$350 in Europe
Rating - 88

Nikka Tsuru Blended, White Ceramic Decanter

pic source

Monday offered Ichiro's Mystery Meat, today it's Nikka's Mystery Meat. I'm not sure when the Tsuru blended whisky releases began, and there's conflicting information about when they ended, but they seemed to be a sibling of the Taketsuru blended malts (the Japanese word "taketsuru" means "bamboo crane", while "tsuru" means "crane").

Tsuru's short-lived range included:

• 17-year-old in a glass bottle
• 17-year-old in a white ceramic decanter
• NAS in two different glass bottles
• NAS in a white ceramic decanter

I tried the "17-year-old in a glass bottle" two years ago, finding it to be pretty close to grain whisky, and wishing there'd been more Yoichi malt in the mix. Today I'll review the "NAS in a white ceramic decanter" expression, with Monday's NAS blend serving as its sparring partner (or pace car?).

Ownership: Nikka

Range: Tsuru

Type: Blended Whisky

Region: Japan (and others?)

Distilleries: Miyagikyo, Yoichi, and Nishinomiya (and others?)

Age: ???

Maturation: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The gentle nose leads with a mix of green apple skins, cucumber skins, and rosewater, with quiet notes of ocean and fabric in the background. A brown sugar note appears ~20 minutes in, and pushes toward the front.

A soft citrus note slowly expands across the palate, well balanced between tart and sweet. It's also slightly dusty and floral, with hints of apple cider. There's no vanilla or caramel, though it's also not raw. Not a whole lot going on, but it's very pleasant.

It finishes with tart and sweet apples, burlap, and sprinkle of salt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I did not apply this whisky to a highball because it was so fragile. It's inoffensive, better blended than Ichiro's Malt & Grain Classical Edition, and its balance exceeds that of the 17yo-glass-bottle Tsuru. But there's also not much There there, whether that's due to oxidation within the decanter or the blend itself. However, I'd be happy to drink this any day.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ???
Rating - 81

Things I Really Drink: Ichiro's Malt & Grain, Classical Edition

During my Japan 2023 trip, I discovered that the standard Ichiro's Malt & Grain Blended World Whisky works very well in a highball. But similar to Yoichi NAS single malt, Ichiro's Malt & Grain sells for a wild premium in the US. Back then the American price was 3x that of Japan's; as per Wine-searcher's averages that multiplier has become 3.7x ($100+) today.

For reasons that escape me, I did choose to go halfsies on a bottle of Ichiro's Malt & Grain Blended World Whisky Classical Edition. I've been unable to find any details about how the "Classical Edition" differs from the standard one, other than a higher ABV (48% versus 46.5%) and higher price. It's very tempting to call this Ichiro's Mystery Meat.

Ownership: Venture Whisky Ltd.

Brand: Ichiro's Malt & Grain

Type: Blended Whisky

Region: Japan, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and USA?

Age: ???

Maturation: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 48%

Chillfitered? No

e150? No

HIGHBALLS

After trying six different highballs, I think I've found the right formula. 3:1 and 4:1 (bubbles to whisky) come out much too watery and bland, especially with small ice cubes. (Side note: I've never had that issue with any Hibiki products.) The key is to apply 2 parts club soda (or the best mineral water you can find) to 1 part Classical Edition over one large ice cube. The flavor stays strong and moderately sweet with hints of wine casks.

NEAT

The nose begins with a mix of vanilla, butter, sugar, and cinnamon, almost like a cookie dough. That's followed by banana candy, split lumber, and a hint of ocean. After a while it takes on a note that I can only define as an emptied pinot noir glass at the end of the night now being filled with warm Dr. Pepper. And I don't hate it.

Though black cherry and strawberry candies lead the palate, it's never too sweet. It also reads much lighter than 48%abv. The midground holds a jumble of sour red grapes, woody bitterness, cassia bark, and Robitussin.

It finishes with black cherry syrup, vanilla, black peppercorns, ginger candy, and a bit of acidity.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though Akuta-san has a history of making terrific whisky, this "World Blend" smells and tastes like a mad mix of random bottles from one's shelf. There's no cohesion, especially since it seems like there were various casks types, in addition to the blend of malt and grain whiskies from (possibly) five different countries. How does one even attempt to marry all those elements together?

As noted earlier, one can devise a quality highball ratio/formula from the Classical Edition, but the same can be said for Johnnie Walker Black Label and Chivas 12yo. So I'm not sure what makes this whisky "classical", nor why its price is so high. It's not a bad whisky, but I'm getting tired of it and I'm only a little more than halfway done with my half bottle. Maybe I'll just stick to Venture's Chichibus from now on.

Availability - Scattered around the world
Pricing - All over the map (LOL), $100-$350 outside of Japan, $50-$80 in 🇯🇵
Rating - 79

Yoichi NAS (2022, Japan) versus Yoichi 10 year old (2023, USA)

It's a Taste Off between two Things I Really Drink! Of course I never took pictures of my actual bottles and I'm down to the 2oz samples I saved, so I'll need to use some other visuals.

I purchased my bottle of Yoichi NAS during my March-April Japan 2023 trip, for grand total of $27. The same whisky costs, on average, $97 in the US. Yes, this is why some of us return from Japan with a new piece of luggage filled with bottles wrapped in dirty laundry.

In lieu of a bottle pic, here's an Itsukushima ice cream shop sign, located in the touristy part of the island:

Theoretically those are raisins, but I'd already stuffed myself silly with fresh baked momiji manju, so I didn't stick around to find out.

I opened the Yoichi NAS bottle at the end of 2023, just in time for the next whisky.

After eight long years of waiting, the Yoichi 10 year old returned in 2023! And it was expensive. As soon as some 750mLs were exported to The States, the Doctors Springbank scooped up two bottles. I went in halfsies on one of the bottles.

Just after New Year's 2024, we sat down and tried the NAS and 10yo side-by-side. I took no notes, but I remember that the 10 required a lot of air to open up. Now, 14 months later, I'm sitting down in my whisky chair to compare them again, but with notes this time.

THE YOICHI YOUTHS

Yoichi NAS (2022, Japan) 45%abv	Yoichi 10 year old (2023, USA) 45%abv
Very young lightly peated spirit greets the nose. Pears, apples, orange peels, and talcum powder up front. Wood smoke and seaweed in the back.	Peated steak chili. Yes, that's the first nose note. Think beef and chili powder. A hint of seaweed too. Plums and almond extract appear around the 30-minute mark. At 45 minutes? Yeast and sweat.
The peat rumbles louder in the palate, joining apples, pears, mint, and a peppery heat. Its sweetness starts off mildly, but expands with time, becoming very sugary by the 45-minute mark.	Soft, familiar Yoichi peat balances well with tart stone fruits and citrus in the palate. The sweetness remains subtle throughout. Notes of almonds, almond extract, and tobacco highlight the background.
It finishes tangy and peppery with more heat and less peat than expected. The sweetness is never shy here.	It finishes with nectarines, cigarettes, seaweed, and simple syrup.
Comments: This NAS expression reads sweeter and younger than the old version, which needed water to reveal its sugars. Luckily, baby Yoichi spirit is quite good. Yet, from the top of the bottle to the bottom, this single malt showed very little complexity. It did work decently in a highball, though.	Comments: This was the older sibling, indeed. It was much more interesting, and less clean, than the NAS. Nikka's whiskies tend to be mild mannered, but this one showed hints of crazy. Which I like, a lot. I wouldn't be shocked if some sherry casks were included, and possibly a mix of peated and non-peated spirits.
Rating: 82	Rating: 87

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The NAS cost less than $0.04/mL. The 10yo, $0.21/mL. Though the 10 is the superior whisky, the premium one pays doesn't seem reasonable. That opinion doesn't seem to be shared by many. Because the new 10's first release sold out nearly instantly in Japan and the US, I don't foresee a price drop for subsequent batches. If price isn't an obstacle for you, then go for it! And share it. It's very good stuff. Meanwhile, if you're in The States, Nikka's From the Barrel blend offers more flavor and flexibility than Yoichi NAS single malt, and at a lower price.