Mars “Komagatake” Single Cask 1988 25YO Sherry Cask #569 59%abv

mars-komagatake-single-cask-1988-25yo-sherry-cask-569-58Nose: Dry sherry, cocoa, cherry ripes, dried fruits, madeira, mixed peel, apricot jam, charred oak barrels. Water adds white pepper.
Palate: Cocoa, apricots, nutmeg, dried fruits, orange lifesavers, madeira cake, ginger bread, oak. Water adds some, fresh ginger, cola and praline.
Finish: Madeira, candied nuts, dried fruits, nutmeg, ginger bread, pepper, charred barrels.
Last Word: Old school sherry cask whisky. Think of a cask strength Macallan from yesteryear. What, no Christmas cake you say. It would have been a cliché if I had noted that. At any rate, this is excellent.

Rating: 92/100

6 thoughts on “Mars “Komagatake” Single Cask 1988 25YO Sherry Cask #569 59%abv

  1. I managed to get the last bottle that Claude Whiskies had listed on their Rakuten site.
    I must say I was impressed with this – just a lovely sherry cask.

  2. Happy New Year !
    Thank you for this very nice blog of yours, may 2014 be full of nice japanese drams !

    These recent Komagatake reviews make me really curious about Mars too – too bad it’s almost impossible to find any in Europe. Maybe one day…

  3. Like a “cask strength Macallan from yesteryear” – that sounds great, Brian. I am becoming more and more intrigued by Shinshu Mars distillery!

    • Hi Pierre. I’ve tasted 30 different whiskies from Mars Shinshu and I am continually intrigued by their offerings. Not everything works, as expected from a distiller with such a small output and interesting history, but when they get it right(which they do often), they produce whisky as good as any distillery.

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