Mars Whisky is one of Japan's premium boutique whisky brands, and its Shinshu Distillery was built in the Nagano prefecture and run by Mr Kiichiro Iwai. Iwai was responsible for the design of their pot stills and is considered a pioneer in the history and development of pot still whisky in Japan. He is one of only four Japanese individuals listed in the Top 100 Most Influential People in the history of whisky making in the world. Mars Whisky opened their 2nd distillery in the Kagoshima prefecture – Tsunuki Distillery in 2017, and also has an ageing facility on the island called Yakushima which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. While Mars Whisky is considered one of the Top 3 Japanese whisky brands, they are still extraordinarily humble and call themselves artisan whisky makers. We love their gentle, smooth and clean sweet style of whisky. Mars Shinshu distillery is located near Mt. Komagatake and is at the top peak of the Kiso mountain range of the Japanese Alps in Nagano Prefecture at around 800m above sea level. Pure mineral water from the mountain is used for whisky making and the distillery is surrounded by beautiful clean air. Short hot summers encourage maturation, and long cold winter gives whisky slow and gentle maturation as well as a break. Selected single malt are blended to create this 2021 edition. Very limited bottling. Whisky aged mainly in Bourbon and Sherry casks makes up the expression of this whisky.