What you need to know:

• Japanese whiskymaker Mars has partnered with French Calvados producer Christian Drouin to swap casks to age their respective spirits, culminating in a 13 Year Old Calvados from Christian Drouin named Mars Angels, and a 5 Year Old whisky from Mars.
• The Mars Komagatake is matured for 3 years in Bourbon barrels followed by an additional 2 years in Christian Drouin's Calvados casks.
• A total of 587 bottles of the Mars whisky is released, bottled at 61% ABV.
• Cop the Drop or Not Verdict: Cop

Japanese distillery Mars has partnered up with French Calvados maker Christian Drouin to swap casks, to take part in a little cask finishing experiment. That's nothing new in whiskyland, but for Cognacs, Brandys and Calvados, that's alot less common.

Yet, Christian Drouin has been trying to push the boundaries of Calvados with his Angels series which sees his family's Calvados being cask finished a variety of experimental casks, the first of which was the beloved Jamaican rum distillery Hampden, in what culminated in a Calvados called Hampden Angels.

Christian Drouin's Mars Angels. (Image Source: TWE)

Now with the second release, Christian Drouin has worked with Japanese distillery Mars to produce a 13 Year Old Calvados called... you guessed it, Mars Angels.

Now, on Mar's side of the story, this has resulted in a 5 Year Old Japanese single malt whisky that was first matured in Bourbon barrels for 3 years, followed by an additional 2 years of aging in Christian Drouin's Calvados cask.

Official Tasting Notes

Color

Yellow gold.

Aroma

Fruity scents of apples, quince, apricots and light scent of vanilla

Taste

It has a rich sweetness and a slight acidity, just like a freshly peeled apple. It will remind you the moment when you bite a very fresh apple.

Finish

Smooth, clean and pleasant finish remains.

A total of 587 bottles were released from casks No. 4411 and 4496, bottled at 61% ABV and retails at 195 EUR.

Our Take

This is probably right down my alley, fruity nectar galore! Would love to try this, but it's a European release, so friends in Europe, certainly look out for this one. A tad pricy, but with Japanese whiskies, more has definitely been paid for less, you might as well bust out for a tasty one.

Cop the Drop or Not Verdict: Cop

Kanpai!

@111hotpot