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It is a blended whiskey that was further aged (Finish) for more than a year by putting “Iwai Tradition” named after Kiichiro Iwai, who played a part in the creation of Japanese whisky, in empty barrels used in yamanashi Mars Walinary red wine. 

It is a blended whiskey with excellent cost performance that can feel the flavor of wine system firmly over the flavor + aftertaste of pete incense + sherry barrel raw sake by the synergistic effect of “wine cask finish” with pete aroma close to the scotch of “Iwai Tradition”.

Ripening the whisky of our own distillation in barrels where the wine of our company was laid is unique to Hombo Sake Brewery, which has two brands of “Mars Whiskey” and “Mars Winery” .

Iwai Tradition Wine Cask Finish is not sold all year round, and it seems that it is produced spots around spring and autumn.

Blended whisky additionally aged in its own wine barrels.

“Iwai Tradition” is a blended whiskey that has been additionally matured (finished) for more than one year in barrels used for red wine at Mars Yamanashi Winery and Mars Hosaka Winery.

The result is an excellent product with an elegant softness on the palate, harmonized with the old wood scent of sherry casks and the sweet vanilla scent derived from wine casks, and the tannins and umami of red wine bring a good depth to the tone of the flavor.

Reference: Hombo Shuzo official website

Our Take

I don’t feel the pungent aroma of alcohol.

The sweet aroma is not too strong, but it is elegantly fragrant and has a mild sweetness. It is really delicious.

The vanilla scent is also very strong, and you can enjoy the scent alone for a while.

The best way to drink it is straight. You can feel the solid, full-bodied wine flavor.

If you drink it as a highball, the fruity and sweet aroma will become weaker and the vanilla aroma will go away. In a highball, the fruity sweetness fades and the vanilla aroma disappears. The wine-cask flavor that I was so excited about is almost gone. This is a refreshing highball that is easy to drink, but try drinking it straight or with a little water to feel the red wine.

I think it is the strongest wine-cask whiskey in the world.

This is a great whisky to drink, and it is easy to drink.

(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)

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