2021 Mars Tsunuki Peated Single Malt Japanese Whisky 750ml

When Mars fired up its second distillery in the small Kagoshima town of Tsunuki in late 2016, one of the first ambitions was smoke. Tsunuki Peated is the young site's second official single malt, and the first to put its peated character front and center — proof of how quickly this southern outpost found its voice.

The whisky is built from heavily peated malted barley imported from Scotland, distilled in Tsunuki's early seasons and laid down in ex-bourbon casks. Kagoshima sits at nearly the same latitude as Jerez, and its heat compresses time in the barrel: spirit only a few years old emerges with the integration and polish of something considerably older.

Bottled at a full 100 proof, it reads closer to a peated Highland dram than a coastal Islay — the smoke is warm, earthy, and woven through the malt rather than medicinal or briny. This was a landmark early release for the distillery, and bottles from the 2021 run have grown steadily harder to track down.

Campfire smoke and grilled lemon open the nose, giving way to honeyed malt, biscuit, and baked apple on the palate, with a faint saline edge and lingering embers on the finish. It is a natural companion to charred meats, hard cheeses, or a quiet evening when only smoke will do.

• Size: 750ml
• Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
• Age: No age statement
• Origin: Kagoshima, Japan
• Distillery: Mars Tsunuki Distillery, Hombo Shuzo
• Style: Peated single malt Japanese whisky
• Composition: 100% peated malted barley
• Cask/Aging: Primarily ex-bourbon casks
• Tasting Notes: Campfire smoke, grilled lemon, honeyed malt, baked apple, saline finish