Whisky, 'Y.A. Bakemono #06 - Double Cask 2009, 2283'

• Limited-edition, pure malt Japanese whisky distilled at Mars Komagatake Distillery (FKA Mars Shinshu) and Mars Tsunuki Distillery and aged at the Mars Yakushima Aging Cellar on Yakushima Island, Japan
• Selected by Tokiwa Imports as a US-exclusive release
• Blend of two casks, Cask #2008 and Cask #2291; the 3^rd cask in the Mars Bakemono Series
• 100% malted barley, lightly peated (average 3.5 ppm)
• Aged a minimum of 4 years; Cask #2008 distilled in March 2018 and Cask #2291 in April 2019; the final vatting was bottled in June 2023
• Aged exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels
• A nose of custard tart with fresh fruit and a hint of maple sugar leads to a pleasantly sharp palate of juicy orchard fruit and lively acidity; cardamom and clementine oil usher in the dry finish
• Non-chill filtered; 51% ABV

Cask #3 in the Bakemono Zukushi “Monster” Scroll-inspired series depicts Dōmo-Kōmo, a two-headed creature that pairs perfectly with this double-cask vatting of new-make spirits from Mars Komagatake and Tsunuki distilleries that have been aged and blended in Yakushima. This compelling limited release builds further context for the aging influence of Mars’s Yakushima cellar, especially when set alongside the annual Y.A. releases (which vary in cask-finish and ABV).