Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt

Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt, NAS, 43 %

Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt

Today I present a blended malt, made up with malt whisky distilled and matured in at the Mars Shinshu distillery in Japan, and malt whisky distilled and matured in Scotland.

Actually the naming of the distillery is a bit tricky in this case. Or, let me rephrase that, there are a few alternative nicknames floating around. Hombo Brewing Co (“Hombo Shuzo”) is the name of the owning company. They are primarily a Japanese shochu maker. They founded and own the Mars Shinshu Distillery in the village Miyata, Nagano Prefecture. The whisky produced is sold under the brand name Mars Whisky. As a result the distillery is often called Hombo Mars, Mars Shinshu, or just Mars. See more details here.

The Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt will be available to buy in Norway starting Friday July 7 at NOK 1400. It is already available in Sweden at SEK 1250 (99548). In the UK you can buy it at around GBP 80.

Nose: Rich caramel, hints of ashes and charred oak. Vanilla and light fruit notes. A hint of exotic spices. A very rich nose.

Taste: Rich and creamy mouthfeel. Spicy! Ginger, cinnamon sticks, white pepper, and ashes. There's also nuts and what I would describe as caramel wood. I really enjoy the creamy richness here.

Finish: Medium long finish. Light caramel as well as a rich and dark sweetness. Deep notes of oak, vanilla and honey. A hint of smoke towards the end.

Comments: I love this! So rich considering the low ABV of 43 %. I wanna go to Mars!

Score (88/100)

Image from Master of Malt.

Sláinte! - Thomas