Hibiki Japanese Harmony Suntory Whisky, 70cl

Product Information

This lends it a natural sweetness and allows the flavours extracted from Bordeaux, Spanish oak and American oak casks to mingle with a degree of elegance. This impressive bottle is designed to reflect the beauty of Japanese nature, and in classic Hibiki style the bottle bears 24 facets representing the 24 seasons of the Japanese lunar calendar.

This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch! The Kurayoshi Distillery has been producing Japanese drinks since 1910, with sake, shochu and brandy production enabling the micro-distillery to develop unique expertise, combining tradition with innovation. This limited-edition 24-faceted bottle pays tribute to House of Suntory’s unique design approach, bringing “Monozukuri” ​craftsmanship to life while grounding it in Japanese ​culture, connecting each of the four seasons to our past and future. The whiskies are drawn from 5 different types of cask, including American white oak casks, Sherry casks and Mizunara oak casks.

Iwai is perhaps the best known expression from Mars, a blended whisky that comes in various iterations.

Suntory released the Tsukuriwake Selection a few months ago, which broke down the whisky into its separate elements based on barrel type: Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak, and Mizunara. This is not a rice whisky; instead it’s made from a mashbill of corn and malted barley as opposed to just malted barley, which is why it’s also not a single malt. If you’re keen to discover how Japanese whisky carefully balances its flavours, including a subtle use of peat, then this blend would be a good place to start.

Vanilla and tropical notes are also prominent on the palate, with a pronounced rye spiciness prevailing. On the nose there's gentle peat smoke and caramelised citrus fruits, and the palate carries the peat and fruit through, with melon and fresh apple being the most notable flavours. Some soft honey aromas creep out from under the heavier blanket of oak and are carried through with a pleasant hint of varnish. The second was a wine barrel-finished whisky that was given a secondary maturation period in casks from Napa’s Aril Winery. Grape also joins the palate with delicate orange blossom, honey, roasted grain character and slight oiliness on the mouthfeel.

There are various expressions to choose from with an age range that rivals some of the best known scotch brands out there. Here are some of the best Japanese whiskies you can find now, in both the true Japanese whisky and world whisky categories. The 15 and 25 are aged in American white oak barrels; the 20, 27, and 30 are aged in a trio of Spanish, American, and French oak. Produced mainly using corn, the whisky is distilled in Nikka’s innovative Coffey still, imported from Scotland and valued for its ability to retain flavours while heating the grain with indirect steam.On the nose they describe “Rich dried fruit, sweet leather and mushroomy earthiness”, with a palate of, among other things, “chocolate-covered liquorice… spicy leaves… cinnamon heat… pineapple, mango, apple and pear… hints of tar… and brown sugar sweetness. A world renowned Japanese blend, Hibiki 17 Year Old is made with aged malt and grain whiskies from Suntory's distilleries. The 12-year-old is the core expression from Yamazaki that Suntory launched way back in 1984, the same year Gremlins came out if you need a pop culture reference point.

Over the past couple of decades, however, Japan has become widely renowned as home to some of the best whisky in the world, with suppliers even struggling to keep up with the demand. Having mapped its own identity within the Suntory name, Hibiki has gone from strength to strength as a brand. If Hibiki Japanese Whisky sounds familiar, it may be from its 17 year expression featured in the 2003 movie Lost In Translation. Oak, cinnamon and ginger dominate on the velvety palate, while a touch of pepper does prevail, tamed by soft caramel, floral oak and just a whisper of coconut, all of which linger on the elegant finish with faint vanilla notes. The result is best described by that hipster director trying to get Bill Murray to understand nuance through a demure interpreter.Complex and light on the nose, it has a vanilla, honey sweetness with a suggestion of ginger alongside green apple, cherry and plum aromas. Spend some time taking in its aroma and you’ll begin to appreciate the various elements coming together, with fruits, spices, floral and woody notes all present. Few blends have picked up as many top gongs as Suntory’s Hibiki range, and major player Nikka, along with other producers, have been similarly inundated with accolades for a range of whiskies over the years. The best whisky in each “round” was then tasted again (also blind) to determine the overall best Japanese whisky. This is a slightly stronger whisky at 62% ABV, but strikes a lovely balance between the fruity notes from the wine finish and vanilla spice flavors that are intrinsic to this malt whisky.