Whisky: Mars Shinshu 15 Year (1986) Cask 393

Country/Region: Japan

ABV: 59.5%

Cask: American White Oak

Age: 15 Years (Distilled 1986, Bottled 2001)

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Nose: Wood— cords of wood, herbal medicine, tea, cedar, sandalwood, kiss of salt, vanilla, molasses.

Palate: Medium to full-bodied, viscous and woody, resinous, musty garage, chocolate, molasses, coffee tins, tea, medicinal herbs, bitter chocolate, lacquered wood.

Finish: Long, drying, and slightly bitter with chocolate, roasted tea, lacquered wood, and a kiss of caramel.

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Score: 6 (79)

Mental Image: Apothecary’s Medicinal Chocolate Bars

Narrative & Notes: A well-appointed apothecary shop came into focus as the aroma drifted across wooden shelves, pine, walnut, and chests with tiny drawers. Herbal tinctures and medicines appeared before more roasted tea leaves, cedar, and sandalwood arrived. A kiss of salty shoyu lingered in the background—barrel aged with a cedar spice and underlying notions of vanilla and molasses. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, the whisky was viscous and woodsy with lacquered wood and resinous incense burning in a musty car garage turned wood working studio. Dirty, oily rags lingered behind dark chocolate, molasses, and old coffee tins. Roasted tea and medicinal herbs appeared near the end with grass clippings and more bitter chocolate.  The finish was long, drying, and slightly bitter with chocolate, roasted tea, lacquered wood, and a kiss of caramel.

By vintage, this was the oldest Japanese whisky that I have ever tried— and from a remarkably different era in production at the Mars Shinshu distillery. Production ceased in 1992, and when it restarted in 2011, the distillery set out to make a lighter, more balanced spirit than the heavy and robust malts of the 80s and 90s. This was thick, heavy, and loaded with wood, bitter chocolate, and herbal spice with just hints of fruit around the edges.

Overall, a fun whisky to try— these pre-closure whiskies are another planet entirely than the modern malts from Mars. I would not seek this out again; I do not particularly enjoy such wood-dominant malts, but I am curious to try more whiskies from the era.