It has long been said that climate plays an important role in the maturation process of aged spirits, significantly affecting the taste. Just have a sip of tropically aged rums and continentally aged rums. The high temperature and humidity in the Caribbean often result in a very dark rum that is bold and full of spice, oakiness and funkiness of tropically aged rums. Continentally aged rums, on the other hand, are aged in the cooler, drier climates of Europe. These cooler temperatures result in a rum that is more complex and nuanced but may not have the same bold flavours as a tropically aged rum. 

But beyond these stark contrasts between tropical aging and continental aging, how does the specific microclimate of a distillery’s surrounding region affect the taste of a spirit? That’s the question that Mars Komagatake answers in its triple release set of single cask releases bottled for La Maison. These releases where distilled in Mars Shinshu Distillery, then aged in different regions of Japan. 

You have to applaud Mars (an indeed many Japanese distillers) for their creativity in coming up with sets like these. Given the oligopolistic whiskymaking industry in Japan, the Big Three (Suntory, Nikka and Mars) ended up looking for unusual ways and means to create interesting distillates for blending whisky. Nikka, for instance, heavily relied on yeast experiments as a way to create unique-tasting blends – as demonstrated in the Nikka Aromatic Yeast masterclass I attended recently.

Apart from the fermentation process, the maturation process also offers another avenue for whiskymakers to switch up the different styles of distillates produced. To that end, Japan’s varied climates of different regions in Japan offers a unique opportunity for Mars Shinshu to conduct such an experiment.

At Whisky Live Singapore, we got the chance to have a taste of Mars Komagatake’s three single cask releases bottled by LMDW in 2022. The 2022 trio were all distilled in Shinshu Distillery and kept in bourbon casks, before being shipped to different locations for maturation. One batch remained in Shinshu Distillery (in Nagano), one batched was shipped to Tsunuki Distillery (in Kyushu) and one batch was shipped to Yakushima island where Mars built a warehouse for maturing its spirits. They were subject to around 5 years of maturation in different climates across Japan:–

Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, has a subtropical climate. The weather is generally warm and humid, with hot summers and mild winters. The region is known for its high annual rainfall, with some areas receiving up to 3,000 millimeters of rain per year. Kyushu is also prone to typhoons, which can bring heavy rain and strong winds to the region.

Nagano, on the other hand, is located in central Japan and has a temperate climate. The weather is cooler than in Kyushu, with hot summers and cold winters. The region is known for its heavy snowfall in the winter, making it a popular destination for skiing and snowboarding. Nagano also has a lower annual rainfall compared to Kyushu, with an average of around 1,600 millimeters of rain per year.

Finally, Yakushima, an island located off the coast of Kyushu, is known for its unique climate that ranges from subtropical rainforest climate to subarctic, with wider fluctuation than mainland Kyushu. The weather in Yakushima is characterized by high humidity and heavy rainfall, with the island receiving an average of 7,000 millimeters of rain per year.

Let’s have a taste of these fancy releases!

Mars Komagatake 5YO 2016, Tsunuki Aging – Review

First Fill Bourbon Barrel, 61% ABV

The Tsunuki-aged Komagatake was distilled in Shinshu Distillery with malt peated to 20 ppm, kept in first fill bourbon barrels and bottled at 61% ABV. 

Colour: Copper-gold

Nose: Aromatic and herbaceous. Opens with very delicate Oolong tea notes wrapped up with fresh sliced banana and mild notes of cream (reminding me of a banana split and vanilla). A bit more airing tips the banana notes into just a slightly more solventy direction, before light floral notes of chamomile honey tea begin to show up.

Very fragrant and structured, fresh florals and gentle peat notes that I almost couldn’t detect.

Palate: Surprisingly lively, flavourful and multidimensional.

Opens with a rich maltiness; a scattering of granola in oat milk, buoyed by sweetness reminiscent of fresh bananas, vanilla and cinnamon. Banana bread! There’s quite a bit of earthiness- we’re getting mushrooms, gentle liquorice and thick Oolong tea, and a passing sensation of smokiness that I might have imagined? But no, this is in fact peated to 20ppm. Also getting some spiciness of ginger and light notes of toasted white sesame.

Finish: A fairly long walk in a herb garden. A fresh breath of basil and a pleasing note of perilla leaf (the kind you wrap meat with at Korean barbecue), and a fading note of cinnamon and liquorice. 

My thoughts

🌬

A gentle breeze of fragrant incense, and nicely elemental, with prominent earthy notes and finish that takes us straight to the herb garden, with committed flavours that allude to the warmer, subtropical climate of Kyushu. A flavourful, interesting and pleasant overall dram with a very soft alcoholic bite. That said, I personally preferred a little bit more commitment to smoke and peatiness. Let’s see about the rest.

Mars Komagatake 4YO 2017, Shinshu Aging – Review

First Fill Bourbon Barrel, 61% ABV

The Shinshu-aged Komagatake was distilled in Shinshu Distillery (i.e. Nagano province) with unpeated malt, kept in first fill bourbon barrels and bottled at 61% ABV.

Colour: Deep gold.

Nose: Complex and elegantly revealed, with a nice oily texture.

Open like a buttery French pastry tart: lots of biscuity maltiness, vanilla creaminess with bright, sweet tropical fruits – the likes of mango and passionfruit. Really appetising. Aromas slowly unwound to a very mild peachiness (tinned peaches), toasted coconut flakes, before revealing a distinct woody-prickliness of rosemary, menthol and eucalyptus.

Palate: Rich, layered, honeyed and very aromatic. 

On the first sip, lots of sweet tart-like note just as found on the nose. Rich vanilla, cream and sweet-and-sour mangoes, passionfruit and a squeeze of citrusy lemon. Vanilla oakiness continues to be present as it unfolds into more toasted coconut and a complex depth of vanilla, honey and a grassy, vegetal bitterness that comes from rocket salad, cooked Belgian endives and stir-fried Chinese cabbage.

Finish: Long, candied and elegantly medicinal. Light caramel notes of honey, caramel, Werter’s Original candy, menthol shaving cream and then a light layer of grassiness that comes from a very hoppy lager beer.

My thoughts

🕺🏻

Really appetising, bright and fresh with a lot of dance moves! So much is going on here and yet the notes neatly unfold one after another in a considered and elegant way. Does this “elegance” speak to the temperate climate of Nagano? Perhaps.

Mars Komagatake 5YO 2016, Yakushima Aging – Review

First Fill Bourbon Barrel, 61% ABV

The Yakushima-aged Komagatake was distilled in Shinshu Distillery with 50ppm peated malt, kept in first fill bourbon barrels and bottled at 61% ABV.

Colour: Amber gold.

Nose: Very sweet, elegant and aromatic. This takes a while to open up to the nose, beginning with a distinct but friendly creamy and clove-like aroma of fresh lilies, with a just-as-present depth of sweet, floral Junmai Daiginjo saké aromas, tangerines, before eventually revealing a lot of fragrant incense smoke and eucalyptus candy.

Palate: Densely packed and forthcoming. 

Immediate notes of fragrant ashiness coupled with a tangy, zesty, lemony note that reminds me of some old style Laphroaigs. There’s an almost-coastal brininess with notes of honey lemon, lemon grass and a sweet mentholic note found in mint-and-chocolate-chip gelato. Develops into a somewhat farmy dry hay note, more grassiness, smoke and mineral notes that remind me of smoky artisanal mezcal.

Finish: Very long, with enduring sweet smokiness, complimented with a puff of mint vape (Don’t vape, kids! Just think of a mint Tic Tac instead), hot English mustard and fading honey lemon sweetness.

My thoughts

🎯

My god this is some unusual stuff – it’s like an "Islay"-style Komagatake with this level of coastal brininess coupled with a lot of aromatic smoke, citrus, grassiness and yet wrapped in a beautiful kimono of florals and Japanese rice saké. As a lover of peated Islay Scotches, this expression really takes the cake for me.

The warmer Yakushima climate might have slightly enhanced and emboldened the flavours, but with the level of refinement and elegance we see here, I honestly think Mars might have gotten lucky with a very good cask of Komagatake.

Conclusions

If the objective here really is to compare the effects of maturation in different regional climate, then one thing that continues to puzzle me is the fact that the 3 releases are of different peating levels – the Shinshu at zero, the Tsunuki at 20ppm and the Yakushima at 50ppm. Surely this would throw us off a little bit. 

A casual comparison of the character of these releases does seem to tell us a bit about the effects of varied climate. The temperate climate Shinshu-aged Komagatake appears to have more refinement than the other two releases, with rather more subtle notes that gradually unfold. The Yakushima-aged Komagatake was apparently exposed to much more temperature fluctuations due to the climate of Yakushima, which might have contributed to more powerful notes that remind us of some old style Islay Scotches.

It's a pity there doesn't seem to be a Mars masterclass available for this series of expressions aged in different climate, leaving us whisky geeks to make our own guesstimates in the dark about the potential differences. But until then, this LMDW Single Cask series does a great job of showing us the fantastic potential of Mars's whisky stock. 

@CharsiuCharlie