Unfortunately I’ve had a bad head cold for over a week so the sinuses are shot. Still, the excitement of Mars(Hombo Shuzo) first official(over 3 years old) whisky release has gotten the better of me. I just had to post up my first impressions. Even though my nose is MIA I can still pick up some of the fundamentals on the palate.
First thing that comes to mind is a peated version of Chichibu the First with an extra dollop of honey and olive oil. There’s lemon curd/meringue, chocolate, Wurther’s Originals, almonds, wheat bread dough, star fruit, honeycomb, pink grapefruit, salt and pepper. Quite a hot whisky at first but not in an alcoholic/acetone way, more like chili heat. The peat lingers and the oiliness coat’s the palate. Overall, very accomplished for the age and every bit as good IMO as Chichibu’s the First(which I enjoyed a lot). The mild peating adds an extra dimension.
Here’s my tip, forget about mega dollar Karuizawa and Hanyu’s, Mars and Chichibu are on the ascendance so start collecting as many of their ‘standard’ offerings as possible. Sure, not cheap for their young age, but not 1000 bucks plus either!!
I had high hopes for this one after tasting all of Mars New Pot Peated Whiskies from 2-3 years back. I am not disappointed in the least. Pour one and like me you’ll be onto your third in no time!

Nose: Dry sherry, cocoa, cherry ripes, dried fruits, madeira, mixed peel, apricot jam, charred oak barrels. Water adds white pepper.
Palate: Cocoa, apricots, nutmeg, dried fruits, orange lifesavers, madeira cake, ginger bread, oak. Water adds some, fresh ginger, cola and praline.
Finish: Madeira, candied nuts, dried fruits, nutmeg, ginger bread, pepper, charred barrels.
Last Word: Old school sherry cask whisky. Think of a cask strength Macallan from yesteryear. What, no Christmas cake you say. It would have been a cliché if I had noted that. At any rate, this is excellent.

Rating: 92/100

Nose: Papaya, mango, vanilla, apricot jam, oak, leather, banana, toffee. Delightful.
Palate: Plenty of punch for 46%. Vanilla slice, banana, oak, mango, apricot, rhubarb, leather, ginger bread, sweet tobacco, white pepper, cashews, salt.
Finish: Leather, tobacco, white pepper, rhubarb, ginger bread, cashews, banana.
Last Word: Mars is to American White Oak cask whisky as Yamazaki is to Sherry cask whisky. You just can’t go wrong.

Rating: 91/100

Nose: Ginger bread, rye, mandarin, vanilla, dried fruits of mango, papaya and peaches. Tobacco, leather, oak. Luscious!
Palate: Big rye spices, ginger bread/ale, strawberries, big salt, cloves, dried stone fruits, licorice allsorts, pine, hint of smoke. Water adds cashews, fizzy sherbet and marzipan and makes the whole creamier.
Finish: Dried stone fruits, oak, fresh ginger, ginger ale, cloves, eucalyptus cough drops, a little tar and wisps of smoke.
Last Word: Only 120 bottles from 4 casks. The Angels got their share and luckily I got mine. A privilege to own but I’ve got to hide the rest of the bottle, a quarter down in a few days and I want more!!

Rating: 93/100
*Update 6/7/13 There is now a subtle exotic fruit note coming through on the palate reminiscent of Bowmore Bicentenary 1964. Hard to mistake as those ’64 Bowmore’s where quite unique.

Nose: An elegance reminiscent of the 3 plus 25. A subtle interplay between the American White Oak and sherry casks. Vanilla, crème brulee, strawberry, guava, oak, leather, dried fruits.
Palate: Vanilla, banana, dried fruits, leather, tobacco leaf, gentle spices, a little nutty, a little oily.
Finish: Lingers on dried fruits and tobacco leaf. The oiliness remains to the end.
Last Word: A deft blending of different cask types. Wish it was at least 46%abv though.

Rating: 88/100

Nose: Light on pears, green apples, pencil shavings, fabric softener, burnt caramel and molding orange peel.
Palate: More of the pears, apples and fabric softener. Toffee, beeswax. Light body at first then a oily/soapy mouth feel.
Finish: Short and drying.
Last Word: Simple.

Rating: 70/100

Nose: Big on apricots, vanilla and banana. Also lemon meringue pie, walnuts and creamy oak. Not complex but quite luscious.
Palate: Nicely spicy, nutmeg/paprika, banana, toffee, vanilla honey, apricots, measured oak.
Finish: Short on apricots, bananas, a little spicy then dry and minerally.
Last word: Not the most complex whisky but nothing off either. Nose is the highlight.

Rating: 82/100

Nose: Dark cherries, sherry of coarse, burnt orange jus, pomegranates, dried autumn leaves and lots of struck match.
Palate: Pretty much follows the palate though the struck match has diminished a little. There is a cross between a tangy and oily mouth feel. Also some earthiness, peanut butter and nutmeg.
Finish: Fairly short with not a lot going on.
Last Word: Had potential but the sulphury element spoils that.

Rating: 75/100

Nose: Very similar to the Mars New Pot Lightly Peated 2011 and Mars New Pot Heavily Peated 2011. Agave, yeast, lime, fresh mowed grass, pumpkin seeds, linseed oil, soda water, shoe polish, ash. Youthful of course, but never harshly acetone.
Palate: Richer mouth feel than the 2011s. Agave, chocolate, ash, sump oil, pepper and a certain tanginess. Something sweet like black plums or black cherries. Again, never harsh. Water brings out a sweet nut element.
Finish: Long on ash, peat, agave, chocolate, peppermint.
Last Word: Shows great potential (as the 2011’s did).

Rating: 80/100

Nose: Vanilla as expected. Oak, sawdust, pineapple, grapefruit, strawberries, menthol and quite a bit of pepper. Water strengthens the pineapple and grapefruit and adds mint.
Palate: Fairly aggressive attack. Hot spices, oak, toffee, strawberries, vanilla, some peat/smoke. Water enhances the sweeter elements.

Finish: Quite dry and oaky. Then a little pineapple, strawberries, peppermint, pepper, peat and coal/tar. Errs a little too far on the dry woody side. Water helps reduce this.
Rating: 85/100

Nose: Rich and deep. Old leather chairs, pipe tobacco, mixed herbs, tea, orange, soy/oyster sauce combo, beef stock cubes, pepper, marmelade, pineapple, apricots, chocolate, peat.
Palate: Rich and tangy. Palate smacking. Sweet spice and mixed herbs, old leather, pipe tobacco, marshmellows, marzipan, marmelade, strawberry jam, oak, bonfire smoke. Water brings out the tea, damp forests, pepper.

Finish: Medium length on the flavours from the palate plus some toffee then the trailing bonfire smoke.

Last Word: Love it!
Rating: 93/100

Nose: Mixed peel, ginger, plums, honey, oak, pears and apples, lemon over shellfish, salt, port, pepper, savoury shapes biscuits, pipe tobacco, leather, maple syrup and a little soy sauce.
Palate: Nutmeg, cinnamon, marshmellows, oak, maple syrup, cigar leaf, toffee, burnt orange jus, rhubarb, port, burnt twigs, raisins, currents, vanilla.

Finish: A fruity/dry combo on the flavors of the palate and a little smoke/peat/burnt twigs. Complex.
Rating: 91/100

Nose: Honey, sherry, blood oranges, lime, a little bit of oak, a kind of burnt toffee smell, and something maritime, like seaweed.
Palate: It is biscuity, with some bitter chocolate, nuts, malt, toffee and smoke.
Finish: Mainly toffee, nuts, smoke and some lingering bitterness.
Last Word: I have to admit that on first opening I didn’t take much of a liking to this whisky and probably would have given it a score of around 73/100.It’s been open for around 7 months now and, while never going to be a world beater, it has improved quite a bit and scores. The smoke saves it.

Rating: 79/100

Nose: Sherry and toffee at first, then changes to an almost Bourbon-esque grain like quality. Licorice, pears, red apples, cinnamon doughnuts, yeast, match heads. Dry cement mix.
Palate: It first touches the palate with a certain lightness then there is a big explosion of peppery spices. Again, match heads, but balanced and not overly sulphurous. On the second sip, the sherry comes through with tons of mixed peel zing. The third sip offers some lemon and mint. On my fourth sip, I noticed there was a nice saltiness sizzling on the tip of the tongue.
Finish: A little dry and fairly short, with burnt toffee, match heads, mint chocolate, cinammon and pipe tobacco. After a few sips, there is a nutty creaminess that floats around the palate and lengthens the finish.
Rating: 87/100

Nose: Fairly light, with apricot, walnuts, fresh cut timber, sandalwood, caramels and lime.
Palate: Peanuts, walnuts, wood chips, wood spice, caramels, lime, cinnamon and coconut
Finish: Shortish with nuts mixed with Werther`s originals and lime.
Las Word: There are some nice flavours there but you have to dig hard to find them.
Rating: 79/100