Mars Komagatake 2018 Single American White Oak Cask #1964 Sumo Series 1 Yori-Kiri Whisky Live Paris Exclusive Japanese Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2025) 70cl
1 of 215 bottles drawn from a single American white oak cask
An elegant single malt from the Mars Komagatake distillery on Honshu, Japan. The Sumo Series celebrates Japanese sumo culture, with each bottling dedicated to a characteristic fighting style. The "Yori Kiri" edition (Advancing and Pushing Out) represents power, precision, and harmonious balance – qualities that are also reflected in the whisky. This bottling comes from an American white oak cask (#1964) and was selected exclusively for LMDW .
Both a sacred rite of immutable ceremony and a martial art performed in modern arenas, sumo traces its origin far into Japanese mythology. It is mentioned as early as 712 in the Kojiki (‘Records of Ancient Matters’), which is considered the oldest literary work in Japan and tells of the victory of the god Takemikazuchi in a wrestling match against Takeminakata, thereby winning imperial rule for his people over the Japanese islands.
Mars’ Sumo col lection comprises four expressions distilled at Komagatake and Tsunuki, and is illustrated with depictions of kimarite, techniques used to expel an opponent out of the dohyō-iri (ring).
TASTING NOTES
Nose : Intense and deep. Overflowing with freshness (banana, pineapple), the initial aromatic sequence then takes us right to the heart of greener landscapes (fern, cut hay), malted and honeyed. After opening up, candied lemons and fine spices (white pepper, nutmeg) give it plenty of panache.
Appearance : jaune doré soutenu.
Palate : Bold and refined. Picking up where the nose left off, the palate adds very delicate toffee flavours. Beautifully malty, the palate stretches endlessly on notes of ripe fruit (Williams pear, apple) and medlar fruit.
Overall : Both flavorsome and invigorating. The finish gives the sensation of chewing on a stick of liquorice, and emotionally evokes memories of childhood. Remarkably fresh in expression, it brings back plenty of the ripe, exotic fruit baskets previously revealed.
About Mars
Japan's highest distillery, Shinshu was built by the whisky division of the Hombo Shuzo Co, known as Mars, in 1985. It is located in Miyada, a village in the Nagano Prefecture, and operated for seven years before being mothballed in 1992. Despite being relatively succesful in their native market, Mars had not had the success of its competitors Nikka and Suntory on the global stage, and the struggling Japanese whisky market at the time forced the company's hand. In the subsequent years however, things began to improve, and Shinshu distillery was eventually re-opened in 2011. Mars bottles its single malt under the Komagatake brand, and have also opened a sister distillery called Tsunuki to provide for its popular blends.
This whisky has been aged in the stone warehouse of Mars Tsunuki distillery in Kagoshima. It is a vatting of ex-Bourbon cask aged spirit.
In 1985, Hombo Breweries opened the Mars Shinshu distillery in Miyata village at the foot of the Komagatake Alps in Japan’s Nagano prefecture. Whisky production there takes place only during winter, with the rest of the year spent brewing beer and distilling other spirits. However, with the popularity of whisky enjoying a resurgence in Japan, “winter” now lasts for about six months at the distillery.
62.8% ABV
70cl
