Article first published by our partner, Japanese Whisky Dictionary. Visit them here. Find the original article here.
The “MARSMALT Le Papillon” series expresses the splendor of Japan’s seasonal climate and natural environment, which forms the environment in which whisky is matured, using butterflies that live in Japan as a motif.
This is the thirteenth in the series, and the theme is the “C.brillantinus”, which inhabits deciduous broadleaf forests in mountainous areas where trees of the beech family grow mainly. The image is based on the beautiful golden-green wings of the zephyrs, which are known as the “jewels of the forest”.
This single cask whisky is a gem of a single cask whisky, bottled at natural cask strength and non-chill filtered from the original malt liquor distilled in March 2015 and bottled in July 2022 at the Mars Shinshu Distillery.
The Bottle
Made from the same barrels used to mature plum wine. Matured for 7 years Single cask of non-peated original
Distilled at Mars Shinshu Distillery in March 2015. Matured for 7 years in empty casks used to mature Umeshu (plum wine) and bottled in July 2022. This single cask whisky is bottled at natural cask strength and non-chill filtered.
| Aroma | Sweet and sour aroma, plum, strawberry jam |
| Taste | Mellow mouthfeel, maltiness, sweet and tart, creamy |
| Aftertaste | Sourness stands out, then changes to pleasant savory and bitter aftertaste, which lasts for a long time. |
| Alcohol content | 59% alcohol by volume |
| Distillate | Single malt Japanese whisky |
| Cask type | Plum wine cask (American white oak) |
| Content volume | 700ml |
| Number of bottles sold | 567 bottles |
| Suggested retail price | 13,200 yen (tax included) |
| Release date | September 2, 2022 |
Our Take
This Papillon series is a single malt whisky that is bottled in single and double casks, and the number of bottles sold each time is very small.
The resale price has also risen considerably, and the current bottle is currently being sold for more than 100,000 yen (Mercari, Yahoo! Auctions).
It has a taste that is hard to find in other whiskies.
The conclusion is that it is very tasty.
It has a mellow mouthfeel without feeling the 59% alcohol content. It is a non-peated whisky with no peculiarities, and you can fully enjoy the taste of plum wine barrel aging. It has a malty, sweet, sour, and astringent taste, all of which are well integrated. It is also delicious straight, but we prefer to enjoy it on the rocks like plum wine on the rocks.
(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)
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