"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 after "Loomis's Lycaenid" (Loomis's Oakblue), a small and rare butterfly.
It is an exceptional triple-cask single malt whisky, inspired by the butterfly's exotic blue wings shimmering in dim evergreen forests.
To create it, we vatted malt whiskies from three carefully selected ex-Bourbon barrels distilled and matured at Mars Tsunuki Distillery.

"Loomis's Lycaenid... one of Japan's most iconic and rare butterflies. Named after its American discoverer, Mr. Loomis, it was a butterfly I had admired since boyhood. My first encounter with it, during late August in my second year of high school, remains unforgettable. I was exploring a dry creek bed within a dim evergreen forest in Minami Boso. The valley floor was difficult to traverse, and in the sauna-like humidity, sweat stung my eyes, blurring my vision. Suddenly, I noticed several mountain leeches crawling up my trousers. While enduring this horror, I finally met the butterfly of my dreams."
Inspired by its exotic blue wings shining in the dim forest, we have created this triple-cask single malt whisky by vatting three casks of malt whisky distilled at Mars Tsunuki Distillery and matured in ex-Bourbon barrels.
Label photo and text by Shuichi Ogino.