2021 Mars Komagatake Limited Edition Single Malt Japanese Whisky 700ml

Every year, the blending team at Mars Shinshu gathers a cross-section of its maturing stock and bottles a single statement of where the house stands. The Komagatake Limited Edition 2021 is that snapshot: distilled, matured, and bottled entirely in Nagano, a whisky that never left the mountains from mash tun to glass.

Few distilleries anywhere work at this altitude. The stillhouse sits in the shadow of Mt. Komagatake, the tallest peak of the Kiso Range, where granite-filtered snowmelt feeds the mash and cool, thin air slows maturation to a patient crawl. That restraint shows in the spirit — delicate, perfumed, and layered rather than loud.

For the 2021 edition, ex-bourbon and ex-sherry American oak casks were married and bottled at 48% without chill filtration, preserving the full texture of the vatting. Just 3,456 bottles were allocated to the United States, making this one of the scarcer entries in the annual series and a natural target for collectors tracking the run year by year.

The nose leads with prune, wildflower honey, and vanilla over ripe tropical fruit. The palate turns to sweet orange, green melon, and a dusting of cocoa powder before a long, smooth finish of persimmon and soft vanilla. It rewards slow sipping from a tulip glass, where the high-altitude florals have room to bloom.

• Size: 700ml
• Proof: 96 (48% ABV)
• Age: No age statement
• Origin: Nagano, Japan
• Distillery: Mars Shinshu Distillery, Hombo Shuzo
• Style: Single malt Japanese whisky, annual limited edition
• Composition: 100% malted barley, non-chill filtered
• Cask/Aging: Ex-bourbon and ex-sherry American oak casks
• Tasting Notes: Prune, honey, tropical fruit, sweet orange, green melon, cocoa, persimmon finish