"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 "Loomis's lycaenid," a small and rare butterfly. It is an exceptional triple-cask, single malt whisky inspired by the butterfly's exotic blue wings that shimmer in the dim evergreen forests. To create it, we vatted three carefully selected ex-bourbon barrels distilled and matured at our 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 I was a boy. My first encounter with it, at the end of August in my second year of high school, is unforgettable.I was exploring a dry creek bed in a dimly lit evergreen forest in Minami Boso. The valley floor was difficult to walk, and in the sauna-like humidity, sweat stung my eyes, blurring my vision. Suddenly, I saw 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 Malt Genshu casks, distilled at the Mars Tsunuki Distillery and matured in ex-bourbon barrels."
Label photo and text by Mr. Shuichi Ogino.