{"title":"Mars Shinshu Distillery","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"japanese-tradition-mars","title":"Mars Shinshu Iwai Tradition Japanese Whisky 750ml","description":"\u003cp\u003eMars Shinshu is Japan's highest-altitude whisky distillery, tucked in the Japanese Alps in Nagano Prefecture, run by drinks company Hombo Shuzo since the 1980s and named for founder Kiichiro Iwai, an engineer who also helped design Nikka's early stills. Iwai Tradition is their entry-level blended whisky, built from malt and grain spirit matured in a mix of ex-bourbon and sherry casks. It's a lighter, honeyed, more approachable style than the smokier Yoichi or richer Yamazaki, closer to a soft American-leaning blend, with vanilla and gentle spice rather than heavy peat. A good, affordable way into Japanese whisky without the inflated secondary-market prices of the bigger names.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow to drink Mars Shinshu Iwai Tradition\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTry it as a Highball — soda water and ice over the whisky is the standard Japanese serve, and Iwai Tradition's lighter profile is built for exactly that. Neat with a drop of water also works if you want to taste it straight first.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mars Shinshu","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42629413994714,"sku":"VWS_200419093","price":47.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0253\/9972\/2044\/products\/97e589ea-a428-11ea-a6b8-02bac80a0a34_8fb4c056-fdc9-482c-bb70-e4babaa7d2d0.jpg?v=1653687636"},{"product_id":"iwai-japanese-45-green-label","title":"Mars Shinshu Iwai 45 Japanese Whisky 750 ml","description":"\u003cp\u003eMars Shinshu Iwai 45 is a Japanese whisky from Mars Shinshu, one of Japan's smaller and higher-altitude distilleries, run by Hombo Shuzo. The Iwai line is named for Kiichiro Iwai, an engineer who worked on Japan's earliest whisky production and helped write the technical standards other distilleries later followed. Iwai 45 leans into a bourbon-adjacent mash bill aged mainly in ex-bourbon barrels and is bottled at 45% ABV. Expect vanilla and corn sweetness on the nose, a palate of caramel and light spice, and a smooth, approachable finish that trades Scotch-style complexity for easy drinkability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to drink Mars Shinshu Iwai 45\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTry it as a highball with soda water — the classic Japanese serve — where its bourbon-leaning sweetness stays bright rather than getting heavy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mars Shinshu","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42629609226458,"sku":"VWS_200420441","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0253\/9972\/2044\/products\/f75018e6-511f-11ec-8534-0ad4c51b643d_6587c1ea-7a15-4b67-9f40-4fa471478977.jpg?v=1653689625"},{"product_id":"iwai-mars-whisky-blue-label","title":"Mars Shinshu Iwai Japanese Whisky 750 ml","description":"\u003cp\u003eIwai is the entry blended whisky from Mars Shinshu, the mountain distillery Hombo Shuzo runs high in Japan's Nagano Alps. The blend leans on malt and grain whisky matured partly in Mizunara oak, a Japanese wood that adds incense and clove notes distinct from American or European casks. Expect apple and honey on the nose, a light grainy sweetness on the palate, and a short, spiced finish with a whisper of oak. It's an easy, mixable whisky rather than a sipper built for connoisseurs chasing complexity. Good for anyone curious about Japanese whisky beyond the big-name single malts, or building a highball program.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to drink Iwai\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuilt for the highball: pour over ice with soda water and a lemon twist to let the Mizunara spice come through. It also holds its own in a whisky sour.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mars Whisky (Hombo Shuzo)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42629717098714,"sku":"VWS_200422216","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0253\/9972\/2044\/products\/65b84ff8-511e-11ec-8534-0ad4c51b643d_1bb64ee9-7eaa-4749-a8a8-0564a9a99f22.jpg?v=1653691116"},{"product_id":"iwai-tradition-finished-in-napa-wine-cask-750-ml","title":"Iwai Tradition Finished in Napa Wine Cask 750 ml","description":"\u003cp\u003eIwai Tradition Finished in Napa Wine Cask is a Japanese whisky from Mars Shinshu Distillery, taking their Iwai Tradition blend and giving it extra maturation in barrels that previously held Napa Valley wine. That wine-cask finish is the defining detail here, layering red-fruit and light tannin notes over the base whisky's grain sweetness. Expect a nose of dried berries and vanilla, a soft, fruit-tinged palate, and a mellow, faintly winey finish. It's a distinctly Mars Shinshu approach - the distillery is known for creative cask experimentation - and it suits drinkers curious about wine-finished whisky rather than classic Scotch-style profiles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to drink Iwai Tradition Napa Wine Cask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeat is the best way to catch the wine-cask fruit; a splash of water can help if the finish feels tight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mars Shinshu","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43747081748698,"sku":"VWS200426117","price":71.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0253\/9972\/2044\/products\/1C8474B4-14A0-4205-9615-DF574CBA74FA_1_201_a_2048x_7884a500-4918-42ac-a918-e67538ba1287.jpg?v=1678439048"}],"url":"https:\/\/liquorverse.com\/collections\/mars-shinshu-distillery.oembed","provider":"LiquorVerse","version":"1.0","type":"link"}