House of Iwai Flight
Sandwiched between Japan’s soaring Southern Alps and the towering Central Alps, at just over 2,600 feet, Mars Shinshu is Japan’s highest whisky distillery. The Hombo family has been distilling for more than a century and they added whisky to their repertoire in 1949.
Until 1984, it was the southernmost whisky made in Japan, which ended with the Hombo clan moving the distillery to the idyllic alpine setting of Miyada village in southern Nagano Prefecture. They chose this site for its cool temps, which slowed maturation, and the plentiful, soft, granite filtered snowmelt fed aquifers.
Smart choice. The whiskies are elegant, smooth and very complex.
Tasting notes:
Whisky 1: Iwai Tradition
Ripe cherry
Honey
Toffee
Ginger spice
Whisky 2: Iwai Tradition Sherry Cask
Oak
Honey
Pedro Jimenez Sherry
Whisky 3: Iwai Tradition Napa Cask
Jammy red fruit
Black pepper
Vanilla bean
Iwai Tradition
This malt-driven spirit is truly a reflection of contemporary Japanese whisky. Incredibly balanced, soft and layered. A blending of sherry, bourbon and wine casks with delicate hints of peat make for a smooth palatable whisky.
This is a true single malt Japanese whisky that can satiate both scotch and American whisky drinkers.
The inspiration for this distillery's flagship whisky (Iwai blue label) was American bourbon. Therefore, even when they make single malt whisky, they tend to age/mature the juice in barrels that are typical in the same process for bourbons (i.e. sherry casks, American oak casks, and ex bourbon barrels)
This follows suit with the next two whiskies.
Iwai Tradition Sherry Cask
The Mars distillery started using their “tradition” release as a segue into experimenting with new methods of maturing their product. They have yet to use any other whisky as a base for any variant maturation techniques.
This specific iteration of one of their original distillates is aged in the highest quality sherry casks available.
This yields an extremely mellow, easy drinking, yet still full-bodied whisky
Iwai Tradition Napa Cask
This is another rendition of Mars’ experimentation with different maturation techniques. Iwai tradition is also used as the base for this whisky.
It is finished for 9 months in Cabernet Sauvignon casks sourced from a Napa Valley winery.
It is aged between 2–5 years in ex-bourbon, sherry, and American oak casks
Only 1200 bottles were produced in this limited release, making it a rarity and ride the cusp of a unique experience.