pkingmartin
Mars Lucky Cat "Mint"
Blended Malt — Japan, Japan
Reviewed
July 15, 2021 (edited July 18, 2021)
This appears to be a limited release of 3830 bottles that was selling around $120 per bottle based off the old price I found from K and L at the time. Those have sold out and trying to find this through a quick search online revealed that the only shop selling these is Cask Cartel for an astonishing $1k. Big thanks to @Richard-ModernDrinking for the sample of this rare and expensive drink. Time to find out if the collectors have lost their minds for the cute cat picture on the bottle or if this is an epic treat.
This has a very light nose with flavors of runny honey, orange blossom, grapefruit, vanilla then slight sulfur and light oak with light ethanol burn.
Going in for a taste reveals a thin-medium mouthfeel starting with light fruit that quickly turns bitter and sour with grapefruit pith and clay soil with a medium ethanol burn that finishes short with bitter grapefruit, a slight hint of vanilla to soften the bitterness, along with pencil eraser and clay soil.
What a disappointment that with every taste seems to add more dirt and bitterness that is no way near worth the initial asking price or the secondary prices of today. If someone wants a bottle with a cat picture on it, just save yourself the $1k and buy a Springbank 12, print out a cat picture of your choice and paste it on the front of it. You’ll be rewarded with a delicious whisky with a cute cat on it and save yourself a lot of money.
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When i saw 'Mars...' i knew it wasn't going to be good..I've tasted a lot of average crap from them!
@ContemplativeFox that was a Smogen Triple. Heavily Peated triple distilled, matured in Sauternes. I think I paid about $130 for 500ml back in 2019.
@PBMichiganWolverine How old was the one that the two of you shared during your ultra premium tasting flight?
@ContemplativeFox yeah, it is expensive considering it’s age ( oldest is 8 yr old, which was the only other one I bought ).
@PBMichiganWolverine I won't say I'd written Smogen off, but I'd definitely assumed that it was going to be super mediocre for the next decade or so and very overpriced. Better put it in the Penderyn category of unexpectedly delicious and keep an eye open for bottles ...
@PBMichiganWolverine Wow! Adding it to my shopping list if it can keep up with those.
@Richard-ModernDrinking me too...I actually bought another of their releases , a Sherry single cask. It’s pricey, about $150 for 500ml , but you’re right —-made in tiny quantities, and with high quality standards
@PBMichiganWolverine I have a Pavlovian reaction now whenever I see a Smogen mentioned. It’s a shame it’s so expensive, but understandable given the tiny quantities they distill.
@pkingmartin i had Smogen for the first time when I bought it over to @Richard-ModernDrinking ‘s place...both of us were wowed by it, especially considering the lineup had an 80s Macallan 18, Ardbeg 19, Michter’s 10yr rye, and a few others
@PBMichiganWolverine Amazing about the price increase on this one, probably based solely on that photoshop quality kitty label. Now I really want to find Smogen whisky!
@ctbeck11 @ContemplativeFox I also had to look up crypto kitties ! I had no idea that existed. 😂
@ctbeck11 @pkingmartin $1000? Seriously ? I bought this for about $60. Shared it with @Richard-ModernDrinking , at a tasting over his place. If I recall correctly, the surprise belle of the ball was this Swedish Smogen. Bested only be an Ardbeg 19. This one was truly unimpressive
@Richard-ModernDrinking i remember having this one —-was unimpressed. Had higher hopes for it, but at the time, I just thought it was badly placed in a lineup that had Smogen and Ardbeg.
@ContemplativeFox I just had to look up CryptoKitties and I’m more confused after reading about it than I was before I started. I’m starting to feel like an old timer these days.
This was actually a bottle that @PBMichiganWolverine left at my house a couple of years ago and has sat untouched since we opened it. It does have a lovely label though.
@ctbeck11 It has a cat, so it's an immediate collectible. Could be the next crypto kitties 😂
@WhiskyWitch The whole label is like Photoshop 101 territory and remedial aesthetics. They might have tried to compete with Spring bank, but forgotten to put good whisky in the bottle.
@Ctrexman I’ll second this as one of the top statements of the year 😂 hopefully really speaks to the $1,000 bottle club buyers
Love it
If someone wants a bottle with a cat picture on it, just save yourself the $1k and buy a Springbank 12, print out a cat picture of your choice and paste it on the front of it.
Medium ethanol burn at 43% and that price?! Totally unacceptable 😡
The label looks like someone just took a low-quality picture of their cat 😂
NAS…43%…Blended…Japanese. $1,000. Sounds about right. I assume this is some kind of collectible, and people aren’t really buying it for high quality contents.