Komagatake Finished in IPA Casks: How Beer Barrels Give Whisky a New Character
Hombo Shuzo has released, in limited numbers in late July, a Single Malt Komagatake finished in casks that matured IPA brewed at its own Minami Shinshu Beer.
In Japanese whisky-making, distillers keep experimenting with the casks used for finishing in order to widen the range of flavours. Sherry and wine casks are common, but beer casks are still rare. Hombo Shuzo, founded in 1872, is a drinks company producing shochu, whisky, wine, plum liqueur and more, and it makes its whisky under the Mars name. On 14 July 2026, the company announced a new limited release from its Mars Komagatake Distillery in Nagano Prefecture: “Single Malt Komagatake IPA Cask Finish Bottled in 2026”.
Finished in IPA casks from its own brewery
“Finishing” is a technique in which the whisky is moved to a different cask for the last stage of maturation, so that the cask’s aromas are layered on top. The casks used here are empty ones that held maturing India Pale Ale (IPA) at the Minami Shinshu Beer Komagatake Brewery, which Hombo Shuzo operates. IPA is a beer style with a pronounced hop aroma and bitterness, and this brewery uses plenty of hops and brings the beer to a medium depth of colour. Because a single company makes both the whisky and the beer, the casks can be passed along internally rather than bought from outside. That is what makes this bottle so interesting.
Mint, lime and a bitter finish
According to the producer, a fresh, mint-like aroma comes first, followed by the vanilla sweetness from the cask and juicy, lime-like fruit notes. On the finish, a crisp bitterness from the IPA tightens the whole. The only ingredient is malt (malted barley), and the strength is a fairly high 52% ABV. It comes in a 700 ml bottle with a suggested retail price in Japan of 9,000 yen (excluding tax), and it was sold in limited numbers. The producer particularly emphasises how well it goes with a highball.
This bottle is a limited release for the Japanese market, and no distribution in Europe has been announced so far. Three months have passed since the release, so it may already be gone from shop shelves, but anyone wishing to look for it could ask a specialist shop strong in Japanese whisky, using the name “Mars Komagatake IPA Cask Finish”. If you do get hold of a bottle, try it neat first and see how far you can pick up the green aroma that comes from the hops. At 52% it is strong, so a few drops of water make the changes in aroma easier to follow. Next, mix it with soda water as the producer recommends and compare how the lime aroma opens up. In regions where craft beer is a familiar part of life, such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, you could also set a local IPA alongside it and taste the two side by side, looking for the same hop character in both beer and whisky.
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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