"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.
The third installment focuses on the "Miyamashirocho" (Black-veined White), which inhabits parts of the central mountainous region.
Imagining the delicate figure of this "Mountain Fairy," known for its beautiful white wings, we carefully selected a single cask of unpeated malt whisky matured in a virgin American White Oak cask.
Distilled at Mars Komagatake Distillery (formerly Mars Shinshu Distillery) in 2014, this single cask single malt whisky is bottled at natural cask strength, non-chill filtered, highlighting the rich flavors of the virgin wood.

"In July 2016, as I walked along the road from Mt. Yunomaru in Nagano Prefecture to the old Kanozawa Onsen, a white butterfly appeared out of nowhere. It was the Miyamashirocho, a high-altitude butterfly. Its semi-transparent wings shone beautifully against the blue sky. After getting tired of feeding on Saxifraga fortunei flowers, she disappeared into the meadow on a gentle breeze. This butterfly, known for its beautiful white wings and referred to as the 'Mountain Fairy,' inhabits limited areas of Nagano Prefecture and is at risk of extinction."
Label photo and text by Kyoji Osozawa.