MARS Tsunuki 2023

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 50% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The 2023 edition brings together malt whiskies from Mars Tsunuki Distillery matured mainly in ex-Bourbon Barrels, with Sherry casks providing an additional influence. The whiskies used matured for at least three years, although this limited annual edition carries no age statement. The year refers to its release, not its distillation vintage. The release comprises 47,000 bottles. The whisky combines a robust, full body with bright fruitiness.

Lightly peated barley malt gives this whisky a subtle smoky accent. Alongside citrus and cereal notes, there are impressions of pastry cream, pancakes and cooked fruit. The whisky is bottled at 50%, without chill filtration or added colouring. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, sweet, toasted cereal notes meet pome fruit and woody smoke.
• Palate: The palate combines orange marmalade with bergamot notes and the flavour of grilled lemons.
• Finish: A smoky note reminiscent of a campfire lingers on the finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

Mars Tsunuki Distillery belongs to Hombo Shuzo Co.,Ltd. and lies in the southwest of the Satsuma Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture. Hombo Shuzo has its roots here and has produced sweet potato shochu at this site for more than a century. In 2016, the company opened Tsunuki as its second whisky distillery.

Tsunuki lies in a basin between the Kurata and Choya mountain ranges. Hot summers contrast with winters that are unusually cold for the region; these seasonal differences influence whisky maturation. Spring water from the Kurata mountains is one of the natural resources used in production. The distillery uses pot stills and matures malt whisky in warehouses including a traditional stone warehouse, where temperatures fluctuate comparatively little throughout the year.

Facts: