Japan’s Take on Rye: Mars Shinshu’s New Blended Whisky

“Hey, can I get some of that Japanese scotch?” they’d often ask as they sat down at my bar. Hiding my deep-seated instinct to snark them into oblivion, I’d choose the hospitality route—the one where information is delivered with kindness. “Scotch,” I’d reply, “is simply whisky made in Scotland. This is Japanese whisky, which just means it was made in Japan—though it does emulate the Scottish style in many ways.”

Since its inception more than a century ago, Japanese whisky has been directly associated with and compared to Scotch for understandable reasons. Malt whisky and grain whisky made in the style Masataka Taketsuru first learned in Scotland in the early 1900s resemble the Scotch we know and love in countless ways, even with the wonderful Japanese innovations and variations that have emerged over time. And while producers have experimented with other grains like rice, one thing the Japanese have done extremely well is blend whiskies from around the world in their own elegant style.

Rye whiskey, on the other hand, has never really been thought of as elegant in the traditional sense. It’s the rugged, pre-Prohibition, spicy northern style of whiskey that early American settlers first made. But now our friends at Mars have created a fun new counterpart to their bourbon-forward Iwai 45, blending their own classic whisky—70% corn and 30% pot-stilled unmalted barley aged in ex-bourbon barrels—with a 95/5 rye aged in new charred oak and imported from Tennessee.

The result brings a mix of grain and spice, cherry and cocoa, nutty and herbal notes, plus berries and tea in a style that’s ready for your favorite cocktail or highball. And the price is perfect for mixing. But to be clear, this is not a rye whisky made in Japan, in the same way traditional Japanese whiskies aren’t Scotches. It’s an easy-drinking, supremely mixable rye-style whisky from blenders who’ve made a name for themselves by combining liquid gold from around the world into a final product as unique and inviting as Japan itself.

— Josh Gelfand, K&L Spirits Buyer