ZTJ116 - Mars Maltage Cosmo Manzanilla Sherry Cask Finish 2022 Blended Malt Whisky 700ml (Giftbox)
Price : $760/@
Region of Production / Grade: Nagano, Japan
Alcohol content: 42 per cent
Volume: 700ml
Manzanilla is a dry white wine made from Palomino grapes, the lightest and driest of all Sherries, with a crisp crispness. The whisky aged in Manzanilla's pear casks has a light flavour reminiscent of white wine. It also has a light sweetness with a bitter aftertaste of oak.
This is a limited production whisky that has been matured in Manzanilla Sydney casks to give this whisky complexity and depth. In addition to the typical softness and richness of Koshihikari, there are also aromas of nuts, brown sugar and maple syrup from the casks, as well as pleasant flavours of coconut and chocolate, with a dark chocolate-like bitterness on the finish, a very full-bodied, thick body and overall balance and harmony.
Mars Shinshu is a whisky distillery selling whisky under the brand name ‘Mars Whisky’ in the village of Miyata, Nagano Prefecture, Nagano, Japan, founded in 1985 by Hombo Shuzo Co.
The founding of Mars Shinshu Shinshu begins with the story of Masataka Taketsuru, the ‘Father of Japanese Whisky’, who was sent to Scotland in 1918 by Settsu Breweries to learn distilling techniques. While studying in Scotland, Masataka Taketsuru recorded all of his knowledge of distilling in a pamphlet, which was later called ‘Taketsuru's Notebook’ when he returned to Japan in 1920. In the same year, an economic crisis struck Japan, and the Regent Distillery was caught up in the crisis. 1922, Masataka Taketsuru resigned from the Regent Distillery and the following year joined Kotobukiya, now known as Suntory, and in 1934, due to disagreements over the location of the distillery and other reasons, Masataka Taketsuru left Kotobukiya and built his own distillery company. -- The Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., Ltd Ichika Whisky Distilling Co., Ltd, the famous whisky brand of Yoichi Whisky.
Soon after, Honbo Brewery invited Masataka Taketsuru to be the consultant of the distillery, and in 1949, Honbo Brewery obtained a whisky production licence and established a whisky department in 1960. Then, Honpo Brewery built a distillery in Yamanashi Prefecture in accordance with ‘Takezuru's Notes’ and started distilling. Unfortunately, as the distillery produced Scotch style whisky, which was not to the liking of the Japanese people, the distillery failed and was converted into a winery nine years later. A few years later, demand for whisky in Japan surged, and Honpo distillery began to distill whisky at its headquarters in Kagoshima, which, although selling well, was not an ideal location for whisky production due to the heat and humidity of the area. For the long term development of the distillery's whisky, Honpo Brewery began to look for a more suitable location for the distillery, and eventually found the ideal site in Miyata Village, where the Mars Shinshu Shinshu Distillery was built in 1985 at an altitude of approximately 798 metres. The water quality in Miyata is excellent, with temperatures dropping below -15°C in winter and humidity in summer, making it ideal for the production of fine whisky.
After opening, the Mars Shinshu distillery began to flourish, but this did not last long, as the Japanese economy collapsed in 1990 and demand for whisky fell dramatically, and Shinshu, as a fledgling distillery, ceased production in 1992. It was not until 2007 that the Japanese whisky market began to recover. Shinshu resumed production in 2011 after nearly 20 years of closure, and the distillery has since gone from strength to strength.
Mars Shinshu Shinshu is not well known, but it produces whisky that is as good as any of the other well-known brands. Currently, the whiskies are Mars Maltage 3 Plus 25 Aged 28 Years and Mars Komagatake Nature of Shinshu Shinanotanpopo, with Mars Maltage 3 Plus 25 Aged 28 Years being recognised at the 2013 World Whiskies Awards as the best whisky in the world. Mars Maltage 3 Plus 25 Aged 28 Years was also voted Best Japanese Blended Malt Whisky at the 2013 World Whiskies Awards.
