The official website of the Honbo Shuzo has released information on the lottery sale of a new product in the Mars Maltage Cosmo series, the “Mars Maltage Cosmo Wine Cask Finish 2023”.
The Mars Malus Maltage Cosmo series has been releasing one limited edition product each year since 2019, with the “Manzanilla Cask Finish” in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and the “Wine Cask Finish” in 2020. The Wine Cask, which is the same as this one, has not been released since once in 2020.
The release date is early June 2023. 5,940 yen including tax.
Lottery applications began on May 22 on the official Hombo Shuzo website.
1. About the lottery application
Lottery application has started on the official website of the Hombo Shuzo.
Click here for the application page.
Application period: May 22 (Mon.) to May 26 (10:00). *Multiple applications will not be accepted.
Lottery results: “Winners only” will be notified on June 1 (Thu.) to the e-mail address entered during the application process.
2. Mars Maltage Cosmo Wine Cask Finish Bottled in 2023
| Product Name | Mars Maltage Cosmo Wine Cask Finish Bottled in 2023 |
| Sake | Blended Malt Whisky |
| Ingredients | Malt, Grain |
| Cask type | Red wine casks, etc. |
| Number of bottles | Limited quantity |
| Degree of alcohol content | 43% |
| Price | 5,940 yen (tax included) |
| Manufactured at |
Mars Shinshu Distillery |
| Producer | Hombo Shuzo Co. |
3. About Mars Shinshu Distillery
In 1949, Hombo Shuzo, which had been striving to make “Shochu”, a Japanese distilled spirit, in Kagoshima, obtained a license to produce whisky. Since then, the company has held on to the dream of “someday making real whisky that takes full advantage of the Japanese climate.”
After several years of whisky production in Kagoshima, in 1960, he established the “Mars Yamanashi Winery”, a factory for wine and whisky production in Yamanashi. Then, in order to engage in whisky production in earnest, he searched for an even more ideal location.
The natural conditions for whisky making are very demanding: cold climate with clean air, moderate humidity, and good quality water.
In 1985, after searching for land that met these conditions, Mars Shinshu Distillery was established at an altitude of 798 meters at the foot of Komagatake Mountain in the Central Alps, Nagano Prefecture, in search of the best environment for whisky making.
In 1992, distillation was halted due to sluggish demand for whisky. Later, as Japanese whisky began to be appreciated worldwide, we decided to resume distilling in 2009, when the demand for whisky was on the recovery trend, and started distilling again in 2010. The company re-started in February 2011.
In September 2020, it was completely renovated for the first time in 35 years. The investment is approximately 1.2 billion yen.
In May 2019, a new whisky distillation building (including a barrel cellar) was built to renovate aging facilities, improve the barrel cellar facilities with a view to increasing whisky production, and provide tours of the whisky making process, as well as a visitor building to sell original whisky and merchandise.
The new whisky distillation building has a total floor area of 1,996 square meter (including the barrel cellar, which will hold approximately 2,500 barrels), and the visitor’s building has a floor area of 746 square meter.
Reference: Hombo Shuzo official website
■Production capacity: 1.1 tons of malt per day
■Production capacity of malt malt: 1.1 t/day
■Main facilities: 1 malt crusher, 1 mash tun reuter (saccharification tank) 6KL, 3 stainless steel fermentation tanks 6KL, 3 Douglas fir wooden fermentation tanks (relocated) 6KL, and a first distillation kettle (relocated)
4. Other products of Mars Shinshu Distillery
4-1. The Lucky Cat May & Luna
“The Lucky Cat Double Individuals May & Luna”, the eighth in the series, is based on the motif of May, the oldest cat, and Luna, a newcomer, and is a blended whisky in which the two individualities are in harmony, with an aroma derived from cherry barrels and a peppery flavor that follows later.
The impression is a solid fusion of personalities: sweetness and a good amount of peat combined with dark chocolate, cocoa, woody aroma and peppery spiciness.
4-2. Mars Malt Le Papillon Double Cask L.amurensis
The “Mars Malt 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 inhabit Japan as a motif. The theme of this product is the “L.amurensis,” which mainly inhabits low grasslands and is one of the smallest members of the white butterfly family. To evoke its lovely white figure dancing in spring, two barrels, one with cherry wood for the mirror plate and the other aged in a bourbon barrel, were vatted. This single malt whisky is a gem of a single malt whisky, bottled at natural cask strength and non-chill filtered from the original malt spirit distilled in 2015 at the Mars Shinshu Distillery.
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
