Hibiki Japanese Harmony Suntory Whisky, 70cl

Product Information

The current incarnations are made from a blend of more than 30 individual malt and mellow grain whiskies, and the final blend is topped off with a whisky aged more than 30 years.

After all, that’s all whisky fans are asking for, just to know what exactly is in the bottle, which seems like a pretty reasonable request. Made with malt whiskies from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries, as well as grain whisky from the Chita distillery, it's drawn from five different types of cask, including American white oak casks, Sherry casks and Mizunara oak casks. Lush aromas of perfumed hazelnut and almond are joined by subtle kiwi, pear, malted barley and mineral notes.Hibiki was born in the form of a blend that was the result of sampling and tasting aged malt whiskies from one million casks at Suntory. 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. As such, there are a lot of blended whiskies using Scottish base spirit that may or may not have been aged in Japan, and it is apparently possible to see aged shōchū being sold as whisky in the USA. In the convention for whisky age statements, the age stated is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend. Originally released for the Travel Retail Market, Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master's Select is a smashing Japanese blended whisky that displays a harmonious flavour profile (as you might expect from the name) with a good kick of fruity Sherry notes.

Complex and light on the nose, it has a vanilla, honey sweetness with a suggestion of ginger alongside green apple, cherry and plum aromas. Nathan is a Certified Spirits Specialist, Sommelier, USBG Spirits Professional, and has taught as an Adjunct Professor on Distilled Spirits and Mixology. This blend was finished in sakura cherry wood casks and the effects are pronounced, imbuing the palate with rich floral and botanical notes. Japanese whisky tends to be a bit more expensive than whisky from elsewhere in the world, so finding a bottle on a budget isn’t easy. The equivalent might be if Glenfiddich’s original master blender had gone on to found Glenlivet after a false start with Budweiser.Although no age statement is specified, the new Hibiki blend uses the same malt and grain whiskies used in the original, and comprises a blend of at least 10 malt and grain whiskies from three distilleries (Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita). Within the fruits we think zesty lemon is the most detectable, while some toffee sweetness adds to its overall smooth nature. We provisionally tasted these Japanese whiskies on their own, without ice, and from identical tasting glasses, using a blind-tasting method to avoid any bias. A world renowned Japanese blend, Hibiki 17 Year Old is made with aged malt and grain whiskies from Suntory's distilleries. You’ll know by now the name Japanese whisky is carving for itself within the international scene, now it’s your turn to become the latest convert.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master's Select - Limited Edition is the brainchild of the fourth-generation chief blender, Shinji Fukuyo, who created a blend of more than ten malts and grains from the likes of Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita. It tastes intense at first sip, with tobaco and smokiness present, and finishes to reveal a savoury, almost bitter note. 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.There’s also notes of apple, pear, lemon, dark sugar and a faint smokiness, while wood and tannin prevail on the finish with scant bitterness. Nikka, the other big player in the Japanese whisky world, released two limited-edition bottles as part of its Discovery Series this past fall. The first whiskies produced in Japan were made along similar lines to Scotch, but over the years the country’s output has evolved to appeal more to its own market by reflecting Japanese tastes. NID cookie, set by Google, is used for advertising purposes; to limit the number of times the user sees an ad, to mute unwanted ads, and to measure the effectiveness of ads. It’s a complex whisky – keep sipping slowly and you might even detect some coconut, which is typical of mizunara whiskies – and it has a mellow depth that will make you want to savour every drop.

It's full-bodied with a little creaminess, too, making this an ideal whisky to serve neat in a dram. Kanzen" or complete, our Hibiki Whisky range is a harmonious blend of several malt and grain whiskies which are meticulously blended to create a full orchestra of flavors and aromas. 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. If you’re looking to sample something a little different, however, The Suntory Hibiki Japanese Harmony is another good all-round option, celebrating the fine art of Japanese whisky blending. The result is best described by that hipster director trying to get Bill Murray to understand nuance through a demure interpreter.The nose is intense without being heavy, with oodles of cereal, hints of candyfloss, banana and crisp apple. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. When it comes to handing out ‘world’s best whisky’ awards, winner’s certificates regularly make their way to Japanese distillery walls. There are also fresh touches of berries and a dry oak that seems to catch the flow of the smoke like incense and drift with a dusty dryness that lingers for an age. Half work of art, half wonderful vessel for extraordinarily rare whisky, this is simply jaw-dropping.