The finish starts off fairly bitter and dry and is quite disappointing until you start getting to the aftertaste. There I'm detecting the slightest hint of fruit, feels like pears, but I could be wrong which partially redeems the whisky. Hibiki, like everything else produced under the Suntory house of brands, was first inspired by Scotch whisky’s rugged yet complex nature. With a similar amber coloring but a more delicate crafting, Hibiki pulls together the best of traditional whisky with a refined edge. That means you’ll experience a complex expression that houses an incredible array of notes and exhibits outstanding balance through this range of harmonious aromas and flavours. Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products.

Hibiki was introduced in 1989 by Suntory, originally with expressions having age statements of 17 and 21 years. [5] (In the convention for whisky age statements, the age stated is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend.) A 30-year expression was introduced in 1997, and a 12-year expression was introduced in 2009. [5] Finish: Starts bitter. Dry. Citrus makes an appearance briefly. Quite long and warming! Bitterness dissipates. Left with some soft cereal notes and what might be a hint of that plum. Is it the greatest whisky ever? No. Is it worth the huge sums people shell out for a bottle now? Of course not. But it was a beautifully balanced whisky and still the best Japanese whisky I've ever tasted (admittedly I think I've only had maybe 6 or 7).a b c d "Hibiki Japanese Harmony Blended Whisky". Beverage Dynamics. August 11, 2015 . Retrieved October 7, 2017. Meanwhile, if you spot miniature bottles for even around 1,000 yen in your local liquor shop, airport, or supermarket, buy them while you can. After this articles posts, even those may be hard to find. It should be noted that if you have the money and the fine palate, Suntory Whisky Hibiki 21 Years Old aka Hibiki 21 is also incredibly good. In fact, itwas selected for the “Supreme Champion Spirit” award at the International Spirits Challenge this year.

Now I've tried a few other Japanese whiskies before, specifically the Yamazaki 12 yr (over rated in my opinion) and the Hakushu 12 yr old (absolutely brilliant). We may, but are not under any obligation, to release new functionalities and tools or other features for the Service every now and then. Any new functionalities, tools and features shall be part of and governed by the Terms from the moment they are launched and/or available. Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof. Hibiki 17 Year earned the Gold Medal at the International Spirits Competition in 2012 and 2013. In addition, it was named the "Best Japanese Blended Whisky" at the World Whiskies Awards. We deliver to a number of international destinations including the USA. Please use the 'Change Location' link above for an estimate in your local currency or find out more about international delivery Hibiki as a Suntory brand was launched in 1989 to celebrate the art of Japanese whisky-making…as I said in my Hibiki Harmony review, I consider this a perfect expression of that, with delicacy, intention, complexity, and clarity all falling into place. Since its introduction, the blended (NAS), Master’s Selection (a notch up from the “regular” Hibiki Harmony), 17-, 21-, and 30-year expressions have all been introduced (the latter for their 30th anniversary in 2019).First reaction, from nosing of bottle immediately after cap removal is distinctly and umistakably, of plum wine. A wonderful thing to experience for the first time! I left the bottle alone for 15 minutes before pouring a dram for nosing and tasting and followed up the tasting the next day, these are combined notes with my final score. No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. When I take a sip it goes bitter, feels like oak, peppers with some citrus notes. It feels like there should be more fruit there, but the bitterness is overshadowing it. A new expression called "Japanese Harmony", with no age statement, was introduced in 2015. The new blend was said to use the same malt and grain whiskies used in the first Hibiki blend, being a blend of at least 10 malt and grain whiskies from three distilleries, aged in five different cask types, with some elements aged up to approximately 20 years. [5] [8]