Whisky: Mars Shinshu 5 Year (2017), SMWS 159.1 “Zen and the art of tiramisu”

Country/Region: Japan/Single Malt

ABV: 62.6%

Cask: Refill American Oak Hogshead

Age: 5 Years (Distilled 14 July 2017)

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Nose: Clean, fruity, tropical, cleaning agents, bubble gum, coconut, pool chemicals, metallic, olive oil, cream.

Palate: Medium-bodied, bright, spirited, fruity, tinned pineapple, metallic, citrus cleaning products, mead, olive oil, coconut candies.

Finish: Medium-length, spirited and peppery, with slightly metallic fruit juice.

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Score: 6 (78)

Mental Image: Bathroom Candy Stash

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was clean and fruity, a bit like guava and borax cleaner— or maybe Ajax and pears. Between notions of ripe fruit and fruity candies or bubble gum was clean tile, stone, and a kiss of pool chemicals. The aroma settled in the direction of coconut pudding desserts and olive oil cakes with hints of canned fruit juice. Medium-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile was bright and fruity with plenty of youthful spirited prickle and pepper heading canned pineapple juice and guava fruit salad.  Slightly metallic at times, those citrus-scented cleaning products arrived with baking soda and a touch of peppery spice. Mead and sweet cider arrived at the end with a bit of nutty olive oil and lingering coconut lifesaver candies. The finish was medium-length, spirited and peppery, with slightly metallic fruit juice.

I do not like bubble gum notes and the first time I poured this I was relieved to find any. They waited for me to return— and every time I came back to this they grew stronger and more prevalent. I do not know what it is about Mars Shinshu, whether it is the malt or how it is fermented or distilled, that produces some flavor compound that strikes me as bubble gum.

This was not bad and not the worst offender for those notes I do not enjoy.  It was peppery and spirited, but in a lively manner rather than burning or distracting.  The lightly peated malt used for this whisky is no longer produced at the distillery, which simplified the various products it used to produce, scuttling these 3.5 ppm whiskies not along after this was produced.

Overall, an interesting whisky— the problem is me, not you.  

FWIW, this was renamed in the US to “Zen and the art of spongy dessert” as the TTB (the regulating authority for spirits and labels) has generally rejected any mention of other food or drink on SMWS labels for the last half decade. I cannot fathom what changed, but these days SMWS seems to preemptively alter labels to avoid some of the delays that TTB rejection has caused in the past.  I honestly do not think anyone in SMWS would be so confused as to think the whisky was actually Tiramisu flavored or distilled using Tiramisu… yet here we are.