"MARS MALT Le Papillon" is a series that captures the splendor of Japan's natural environment and its four distinct seasons—which shape our whisky's maturation—through the motif of butterflies native to Japan.
This expression is themed on the "Namiageha" (Common Yellow Swallowtail), one of the most popular species in Japan. It is an exceptional double-cask, single malt whisky inspired by the vibrant image of a Namiageha visiting a bright red azalea. To create it, we vatted Malt Genshu that was distilled at our Mars Tsunuki Distillery and matured in Port and Marsala wine casks.


"When I came home from elementary school, I would always head to the hills behind my house. In spring, my targets were the Orange Tip on rapeseed blossoms and the Green Awl Skipper on Welsh onion flowers. My brother and I were the only ones in our rural town with a 36-caliber jointed butterfly net; it was a gift from our uncle in Tokyo, and with it, we were invincible in the neighborhood.Far off, by a wheat field, a large butterfly was flying. It was slightly pale, so I was sure it was a Namiageha, not an Old World Swallowtail. The Namiageha was a formidable opponent with its swift flight. I quickly closed the distance. Let the battle begin.This is a double-cask single malt whisky, created by vatting malts distilled at the Mars Tsunuki Distillery in 2018 and matured in Port and Marsala wine casks. It evokes the 'vibrancy of a bright red azalea and a Namiageha,' bursting with the life force of spring."
Photo and text by Kyoji Osozawa.