Cuvée presentation
Donated by Hombo Shuzo
Mars Malt Le Papillon: the Wonders of Japanese Nature
This collection celebrates the delicate and fluid beauty of Japan.
Either produced from single casks or in an extremely limited number, these whiskies embody exclusivity and elegance, making each bottle a rare phenomenon.
President Hombo has donated the 7th bottle of each edition to us, which is a symbolic number that represents luck and harmony.
Mars Malt Le Papillon 11 Monki Ageha
This single malt, produced from a blend of two casks of malts, both aged in ex-bourbon casks, is inspired by the majestic Machaon Noir butterfly, which has iconic dark wings speckled with ivory. It is the first single malt in the series to be distilled in Tsunuki (2017) and bottled at cask strength in 2021.
The inspiration for this came from a childhood memory–a day trip that President Hombo once took, seeing for the first time an unfamiliar butterfly fluttering among the azaleas by the sea in Miura. This fleeting moment of amazement at the beauty before him opened a gateway to a new world of wonder. Important to know about this whisky: it’s a vibrant, powerful and graceful blend, which invites you to rediscover the world with a fresh perspective.
Mars Malt Le Papillon 8 Yakushima Shijimi
Distilled in 2015 in Komagatake and aged in the wine cellars of Yakushima island, this single malt produced from a blend of two ex-bourbon casks, is inspired by the Yakushima Shijimi butterfly with its vibrant blue wings, reminiscent of the reflections in the South Pacific Ocean.
At university, President Hombo often welcomed his friends from the research club to his home in Kagoshima, the starting point of their expeditions to the southern islands. Together they visited Terayama Park, a prime location for collecting, where one could observe a wide variety of butterflies. Amongst them is the small blue Yakushima butterfly, it is fragile yet dazzling, symbolising the discreet beauty of the Southern Islands. This whisky echoes this impression: clear, elegant and filled with luminous depth.
Mars Malt Le Papillon 17 Miyama Monk
This single malt, produced from a blend of three bourbon casks that were distilled in 2018 and aged in Komagatake, pays tribute to the Miyama Eureka butterfly, the jewel of alpine butterflies. Its bright pink-edged wings evoke a rare grace, born from the rugged harshness of the high mountains of Shinshu.
President Hombo remembers the very first time he saw this incredible butterfly in July 1973, at the top of Mount Nekodake. Exhausted from the climb, he was surprised to see such a fragile insect flying with strength and agility in a hostile environment. The image of robust elegance, where beauty overcomes adversity, was the inspiration for this whisky: a malt from the mountains that is refined, deep and the perfect embodiment of Japan's alpine spirit.
The distillery Mars - Shinshu
Japan, Nagano. Distillery operational. Owner: Hombo Shuzo Co. Ltd.
Founded in 1985, Mars-Shinshu had been a distillery in-the-making since 1918. Its history has something of the “back to the future” about it. In 1918, Kijiro Iwai, director of Settsu Shozu, sent Masataka Taketsuru to Scotland to learn the basics of distillation. On his return in 1920, he found his employer at the head of a company that had gone adrift. Settsu Shozu was unable to follow through on its plans for a new distillery and in the end it was Shinjiro Torii (Suntory) that benefited from Taketsuru's experience first, using it to found the Yamazaki distillery. In 1960, Kijiro Iwai's son-in-law, then director of the Hombo company, decided to take up the challenge. Drawing on the experience of his father-in-law and Taketsuru's notes, he began distilling a robust, smoky malt at one of his wine and brandy production units in Yamanashi. Quite unsuited to the tastes of Japanese consumers at the time who were accustomed to more subtle flavours, it was a commercial failure. In 1978, however, he made a second attempt at the Kagoshima site, before finally deciding to open Mars-Shinshu in 1985. Caught up in the upheaval of a crisis in whisky consumption in Japan, the distillery ceased production in 1992. In 2011, following major restoration work, Mars-Shinshu then opened once again, this time for the long run.
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