MARS The Lucky Cat Double Individuals May & Hana
Produced at Mars Komagatake Distillery (formerly Mars Shinshu) in Nagano Prefecture — Japan's highest-altitude distillery, sitting 798 meters up at the foot of Mount Komagatake — this is the 10th release in Hombo Shuzo's beloved "Lucky Cat" series, whiskies crafted around the personalities of the distillery's real-life resident cats. This "Double Individuals" edition honors two of them: May, the eldest at 20 years old, and Hana, not quite half her age at 8. A lightly peated blend of malt and grain whiskies, the malt component double-distilled in copper pot stills, it draws its character from two distinct cask types — Pedro Ximénez sherry casks lending rich, mature depth in a nod to May's calmed-down but still endearingly eccentric personality, and port wine casks contributing an elegant sweetness that echoes Hana's warm, homebody nature (she reportedly spends entire days curled up on the Hombo family's bed). The nose brings vanilla, caramel, and raisin; the palate unfolds into stewed apricot, bittersweet chocolate, and ripe red berries. Non-age-statement, non-chill filtered, and naturally colored, it's bottled at 43% ABV with roughly 10,000 bottles released worldwide.
ABOUT THE DISTILLERY & SERIES
Mars Komagatake draws its water from mineral-rich sources filtered through granite, a key contributor to the rich, balanced house style that helped Mars Maltage 3+25 win World's Best Blended Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards not long after the distillery resumed production in 2011. The Lucky Cat series has become a beloved tradition precisely because each release tells a genuine, small story — this one about two housemates whose very different temperaments have, over time, mellowed into an easy companionship, much like the whisky itself.
STYLE: BLENDED JAPANESE WHISKY, LIGHTLY PEATED, NAS
CASK: EX-PEDRO XIMÉNEZ SHERRY CASKS AND EX-PORT WINE CASKS
SPECIAL NOTES: 10TH RELEASE IN THE LUCKY CAT SERIES; NAMED FOR TWO REAL CATS BELONGING TO THE HOMBO FAMILY; ~10,000 BOTTLES RELEASED GLOBALLY
