The MARS MALT Le Papillon series celebrates the profound beauty of Japan’s natural environment—the very seasonal climates that shape the maturation of our whisky—through the motif of butterflies native to Japan.
This edition features the Okinawa karasu ageha, a stunning endemic species with vibrant, tropical hues, found exclusively in the Okinawa and Amami Islands of Kagoshima. Distilled at the Mars Tsunuki Distillery, this exceptional Triple Cask Single Malt Whisky is a masterful marriage of heavily peated malts drawn from three ex-Bourbon barrels.

"Okinawa karasu ageha"
Bathing in the sunlight, the Okinawa karasu ageha arrive in succession, their wings shimmering with every beat. The brilliant flash of their azure wings is truly captivating. Endemic to the Okinawa and Amami Islands, this butterfly bears the vibrant colors of the deep south—its striking contrast of scattered sky blue and deep crimson is both intense and mesmerizing. In March on Amami Oshima, the white flowers of the Bidens plant become a vital source of nectar. I found myself chasing their continuous flight, endlessly fascinated. Capturing the brilliance and vitality of the Okinawan Raven Swallowtail, which embodies the raw energy of these southern islands, this Triple Cask Single Malt is an exquisite expression of peated malts distilled and matured at the Mars Tsunuki Distillery.
Label photo and text by Kyoji Osozawa.