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Bottle archive / chubu

Mars Iwai

Name: Mars Iwai
Brand: Mars Shinshu Distillery
SKU: mars-iwai

マルス岩井

On the shelf Not declared

Product image supplied by the retailer.

What it costs in Japan

Observed shop / shelf price

¥1,800

700ml · tax basis not recorded

Static FX equivalent: about $12 at ¥150/$ (2026-08); not an overseas observation.

Our estimate · checked August 2026

No overseas price recorded yet.

Can you actually buy it here?

Stocked by ordinary Japanese liquor shops and supermarkets at list price.

Our estimate · checked August 2026

Is it Japanese whisky?

We found no producer statement either way. This is not an accusation of anything; it means the question is unanswered.

How it tastes

Named after Kiichiro Iwai, who taught Taketsuru. A cheap, bourbon-leaning everyday blend that costs less than a cocktail in Tokyo. Not declared under the JSLMA standard.

Peat

Sweetness

Fruit

Spice

Oak

Smoke

Complexity

Body

Our estimates, scored the same way across every bottle so they can be compared.

Specification

Producer	Mars Shinshu Distillery
Region	Chubu
Type	Blended
Age	No age statement
ABV	40%
Casks	Various
Best served	Highball
Our rating	79 / 100 (editorial)

Where to buy outside Japan

The Whisky Exchange

ships from UK · not yet linked for this bottle

Master of Malt

ships from UK · not yet linked (affiliate application pending)

UK retailers ship to the US state by state, and the list changes. Check your state on the retailer's own site before ordering — any state list we published here would be out of date within months.