Mars Komagatake Limited Edition 2019

Mars Komagatake 2019 limited Edition Price: $130 USD Age 4-6 year non chill filtered 48% Mars has been producing excellent spirits quietly for years. This 2019 bottling comes from their Shinshu distillery, the traditional name for Nagano Prefecture. Situated in central Honshu, the main island of Japan, Shinshu was historically a vital cultural hub connecting Eastern and Western Japan. Their other distillery is Tsunuki (about 15 hours away), and they have an aging cellar in Yakushima, not far from Tsunuki. This is a wonderfully sweet creation. The nose offers candied apples, pears, and a very citrus-forward aroma. A subtle hint of smoke is present, with a very low PPM, and a robust maltiness reminiscent of worm tubs, like Craigellachie, joins notes of clove, nutmeg, and honeyed sweetness. The oak integration is also superb. This is exceptionally well-aged for only 4-6 years. The palate is brilliant, with a direct burst of sweet citrus on the finish, particularly oranges. An outstanding dram, surpassing any Japanese spirit I've encountered thus far. It's genuinely one of the finest whiskies I've had in some time, and it is authentic Japanese whisky. 97/100. I believe it's worth the price and can compete with older whiskies in terms of complexity.

This bottle has been open for 4 months and is below the label. A remarkable deep, sweet toffee apple. Initially, it's light and delicate, but the mid-palate reveals beautiful oak, citrus orange, which continues as grapefruit and pear. The peat is very subtle and appears late in the finish. The finish is long, oaky, and honeyed. Perhaps hints of cloves. I believe this is a truly fantastic and complex Japanese whiskey. I concur that it reminds me of Craigellachie.