"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 second release features the "Ruritateha" (Blue Admiral), a butterfly widely found across Honshu and southern Japan.
Inspired by the sight of it flying through the summer heat of Minamisatsuma—displaying black wings with a striking blue-green band—we carefully selected a medium-peated malt whisky matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel.
Distilled in 2013 (at Mars Komagatake Distillery) and matured in the stone aging cellars of Mars Tsunuki Distillery, this single cask single malt whisky is bottled at natural cask strength, non-chill filtered.

K. Hombo:"The Ruritateha, flitting agilely from flower to flower in the hot summer of Minamisatsuma, was a formidable opponent for the insect-loving boy I once was.Its exotic blue bands stand out beautifully, reminding me of childhood summers spent running through the countryside, net in hand.To evoke the summer of Minamisatsuma, I chose a cask of medium-peated malt whisky distilled in Shinshu and matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel within the unique environment of Tsunuki's stone aging cellars."
The label artwork is created by Kagoshima-based artist Tomoko Nakanoma.